Abstract
Objective: To report the clinical case of lingual frenectomy in a child with ankyloglossia, aiming at its phonetic and motor restoration. Case description: Male melanorderma patient, seven years old, complaining of bullying in the school environment due to difficulty in diction. On clinical examination, a short lingual brake fixed to the apex of the tongue was observed, resulting in limitation of protrusion and elevation of the tongue towards the hard palate, in addition to the impairment of some phonemes, confirming the diagnosis of ankyloglossia. As a therapeutic approach, we opted for the conventional surgical intervention (frenectomy). In the immediate postoperative, the centralized brake on the lingual belly was observed, as well as the efficiency in the elevation and protrusion of the tongue. Once the patient continued with phonetic impairment, he was referred to speech therapy. During follow-up, it was observed improvement in phonation and absence of complaints related to behavioral aspects and school life. Final considerations: The late diagnosed frenectomy of a short lingual brake is an easily performed surgical technique to reestablish the tongue's motor functions. In addition, the establishment of a multiprofessional approach, associating surgical intervention with speech therapy, contributed to the phonetic restitution and social reintegration of the patient.