Treatment of ankyloglossia by diode laser

Abstract

The most common developmental anomaly of the tongue is ankyloglossia which is characterized by a short, thick lingual frenum resulting in limitation of tongue movement, speech problems, and feeding problems in neonates. Failure in early diagnosis of this anomaly results in social communicating and mechanical problems in an individual. If clinicians diagnose and treat this in early childhood by frenectomy, speech problems can be overcome by speech therapy, but due to ignorance of individual's parents and by clinician, sometimes this anomaly remains undetected and produces speech problems throughout the life. In spite of the treatment in an adult individual of an ankyloglossia, speech therapy rarely improves individual's speech problems. This is a case report of an ankyloglossia treatment by a diode laser in an adult.