Frenulum Tear: How to Care for Your Child

A flap of skin called a frenulum connects the upper lip to the upper gums. It can get a tear (cut) when kids fall. Frenulum tears usually heal on their own in 3–5 days. Changing the diet and keeping the area clean can help keep your child more comfortable while the wound gets better.

• Try not to lift up the lip to check the cut. This can make it bleed. 

• For bleeding, put slight pressure on the upper lip with a cloth or gauze

• For kids 12 months and older, ice pops can help with pain or stop mild bleeding.

• Remind your child not to pick or chew at any scabs that form.

• If your child is uncomfortable, a medicine may help. Use these medicines exactly as directed:

  • acetaminophen (such as Tylenol® or a store brand)

  • OR

  • ibuprofen (such as Advil®, Motrin®, or a store brand). Don't give to babies under 6 months old.

Diet, for 3–5 days:

• Encourage your child to drink. It's OK if your child doesn't want to eat as much as usual.

• Offer soft foods like oatmeal, mashed potatoes, or applesauce.

• Avoid: 

  • crunchy foods that scratch or make crumbs (like crackers or pretzels)

  • salty, spicy, or citrus foods that sting the cut (like tomato sauce and oranges)

• Help your child drink from a cup. Take a break from using straws, thumb-sucking, or using a pacifier. Sucking can make the cut bleed more.

• Babies can continue to breastfeed or drink from a bottle. Afterward, you might notice minor bleeding, which should stop after a minute or two. For babies older than 12 months, offer an ice pop to help stop the bleeding.

Keep the mouth clean:

• Give your child sips of water after snacks and meals. 

• If your child is old enough to rinse and spit, add a small amount of salt to the water (½ tsp. salt in 1 cup water) and rinse after eating. The saltwater can soothe the cut.

• Brush the teeth as usual. Help your child avoid the area around the tear.

Your child:

• has pain that gets worse

• has swelling of the lips or gums that gets worse

• gets a fever with no clear reason

• can't drink

• The cut bleeds and doesn't stop with 10 minutes of putting pressure on it or having your child suck on ice pops or ice chips.

What is a frenulum? A frenulum is a flap of skin that connects parts of the body. There are a few in the mouth connecting to the lips and the tongue. The frenulum connecting the upper lip to the upper gums is the one that most often gets hurt when kids fall.

Why do frenulum cuts bleed so much? Cuts in the mouth, especially frenulum tears, bleed a lot because there are so many blood vessels. This bleeding doesn't mean the cut is bad. In fact, frenulum tears heal on their own and almost never need to be fixed.

How does a frenulum tear heal? As the cut heals, it may ooze a small amount of bloody or clear fluid. This fluid dries to form a scab that looks white. After a few days, the scab will fall off.