Luckily, a tongue-tie and lip-tie can be easily treated, and treatment can be nearly painless with a Laser.
WHAT IS A TONGUE-TIE AND LIP-TIE?
A tongue-tie and lip-tie is a common condition that is sometimes overlooked at birth, which can cause more serious issues down the road. Essentially, a tongue-tie and lip-tie is when a child’s frenulum is too short, which can restrict movement of the tongue and lips, and can interfere with normal swallowing. The frenulum is the small fibrous attachment that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth, and the lips to the gums.
SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS OF TONGUE-TIE AND LIP-TIE
Most of the times, a child’s tongue-tie and lip-tie is diagnosed a few days after birth. The largest indicator is that they have difficulty latching when nursing, or if the mother experiences painful nursing sessions. However, some signs aren’t as obvious.
AN INFANT WITH TONGUE-TIE AND LIP-TIE MAY DISPLAY THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS:
- Shallow latch
- Poor weight gain or weight loss
- Clicking or gulping sounds while nursing
- Gumming, chewing nipples, leaks milk due to inability to form latch
- Frequently releases
- Infant has nursing ulcer on lip
- Long nursing sessions, falls asleep mid feed
- Colic/Gas/Reflux
TONGUE-TIE AND LIP-TIE TREATMENT – A FRENECTOMY
A frenectomy is the most common treatment for a child diagnosed with a tongue-tie and lip-tie, and it is simply the removal of the frenulum so that the tongue and lips can function normally. The procedure typically takes less than a minute, and can be done in a variety of ways.
OUR LASER MAKES IT EASY
At Pediatric & General Dentistry of Palm Beach, we care about the comfort of our young patients and want to ensure that they get quality dental care without anxiety or pain. A laser frenectomy is far superior to a traditional surgery in many ways because the laser uses concentrated light and water to cut a cauterize the frenulum.
Because we provide frenectomies with Laser:
- It’s virtually pain-free.
- Requires no sutures or anesthesia, which is important for infant care.
- The entire procedure only takes only one to two minutes.
- There is a much lower risk of infection.
- It causes very little bleeding
- Provides for a shorter healing and recovery time.
While most patients have an easy recovery, some have different experiences. You can contact our office if your child is experiencing oral pain or discomfort after having a frenectomy.
WHO NEEDS A FRENECTOMY?
A frenectomy should only be performed if multiple symptoms are present. There are multiple patients that have shortened frenula, but are able to nurse fine and develop without issue. However, we advise consulting with our office so that we can properly diagnose a tongue-tie and lip-tie, and provide a treatment plan from there.
It’s important to note that not only infants can undergo frenectomies, and that a lot of children may benefit from a frenectomy.
FRENECTOMY RECOVERY TIME
The Laser drastically reduces frenectomy recovery time, and most patients remain pain-free through recovery. Additionally, the laser encourages healing of the tissues in the mouth, which helps the recovery process.