Your family dentist plays an important role in the maintenance of your child's dental health. The provider offers preventive and restorative services that protect the teeth from damage or restore the damaged tooth material. 

Nevertheless, some of the procedures that a dentist performs can affect more than the teeth. Some services may affect your child's ability to speak clearly. Here are a few dental applications that can make it easier for your child to enunciate words correctly. 

Frenulectomy

The frenulum is the bit of connective tissue that anchors the tongue to the floor of the mouth. Usually, the frenulum causes no issues with a child's speech. However, when the frenulum is too short, the tongue's movements may be too restricted to allow the appendage to form words properly.

A frenulectomy is a procedure that frees the tongue. Although the term may sound complicated, during the treatment, the dentist simply snips the frenulum with scissors or a scalpel. The procedure is so quick and painless that it does not even require the application of anesthesia. 

Some frenulectomies are performed on young babies if the reduced length of the frenulum interferes with the ability to breastfeed. However, if the frenulum's length does not interfere with feeding, the dentist may suggest that the procedure be postponed until toddlerhood to see if the length of the frenulum will increase over time. As the child starts to develop speech, if the frenulum is still problematic, the dentist will likely move forward with the procedure. 

Braces

The teeth of some children present in a misaligned configuration. The misalignment can make proper speech difficult since the tongue presses against the teeth during the formation of words. 

Braces are made up of an archwire, brackets, and elastic bands. The archwire is connected to the brackets by the bands and is periodically adjusted to apply consistent alignment pressure to the teeth. 

Fluoride Applications

A fluoride application supplies the teeth with additional fluoride to help prevent tooth decay. If tooth decay is severe enough, it can necessitate an extraction. For a child, even the extraction of a primary tooth can interfere with proper speech. A missing tooth can alter the child's ability to speak clearly. Thus, by using decay-preventive measures, such as fluoride treatments, a dentist may indirectly encourage a child's clarity of speech.

To learn more about the role that a dentist may play in your child's speech development, schedule a consultation with a family dentist in your local area.