Can an upper lip tie cause a gap between teeth in a child?

Question

Hello doctor,

My 1-year-old seems to have an upper lip tie. Some thick skin between the two top middle teeth is sort of stuck to the inside of his upper lip. We only noticed because he just got hurt and a part ripped. We thought some skin was stuck between his teeth and tried to pull it out but it is stuck there. I am now seeing that it may cause teeth to be seperated as he grows up. Should I go see a dentist? He is happy now and playing. Should I just see a dentist in a few days to see what should be done to prevent teeth gap?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read through your complaint and the relevant details. The upper lip tie in your child is one of the common problems faced. This is called high labial frenum attachment in dental terms. There are two major disadvantages of such frenal attachments. Firstly, it would compromise the gum health of your kid by interfering in the placement of toothbrush. Secondly, it is one of the main reasons to cause midline gap between the two permanent upper central incisors.

Now your kid has got only the milk teeth. We should be more concerned when his permanent teeth erupt that is around 5 to 6 years of time. But, consulting with a dentist virtually, and getting the triangular piece of frenum removed (frenectomy) before the permanent teeth erupt is an ideal treatment to be done.

As you said, emergency treatment is not necessary but it has to be treated. Getting a 1-year-old in a dental clinic is a challenging job. So, start encouraging your kid and prepare him or her for the first dental visit and make sure it turns pleasant. Once he or she gets a knack of it, you may proceed to introduce your kid to various treatment procedures.