Better sleep
Better speech
Better feeding
Lip and Tongue-Tie Facts
Infants
If your baby is frustrated at the breast or bottle, constantly hungry, gassy, spitting up, or struggling to gain weight, he or she may have a tongue or lip tie.
Fill out our questionnaire below to see if your baby is experiencing symptoms that may be caused by a tongue or lip tie.
Older Children
Children with tongue or lip ties may experience speech difficulties, feeding challenges, and sleep issues. There is also evidence showing release of tongue ties have improved patterns of ADD/ADHD.
Fill out our questionnaire below to see if your child is experiencing symptoms that may be caused by a tongue or lip tie.
Teens / Adults
Teens and adults with untreated tongue ties may have airway problems, resulting in mouth-breathing, poor sleep, snoring, and obstructive sleep apnea. Tongue ties over time can also wear on your fascia system, causing headaches/migraines and pain in other parts of your body.
What are Tongue-Ties and Lip-Ties?
A physical condition that limits the use of the tongue is called a tongue tie. This restriction often causes a range of issues and affects around 20% of the population. A lip tie, on the other hand, is a condition where the upper lip is restricted and cannot move normally. It can cause difficulty with breastfeeding, make it harder to brush the top teeth, increase risk for cavities, and can also lead to a gap in the teeth.
The tongue and lip are made up of a very complex group of muscles and are important for all oral functions. For this reason, having a tongue or lip tie can lead to breastfeeding, feeding, dental, speech, sleep, or breathing problems. Problems can even persist into adulthood with sleep issues, headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, and speech problems.
The procedure performed to fix tongue and lip ties is called a frenectomy. For infants, toddlers, and most young children Dr. Lela uses a laser to perform the frenectomy. For some, sutures may be required (called a frenuloplasty).
What is a Tongue Tie?
A tongue tie occurs when the thin membrane under the baby’s tongue (the lingual frenulum) restricts the movement of the tongue. All babies are born with some of this tissue, but for approximately 5% of newborns, it is so tight that they cannot move their tongue freely. This can affect their ability to breastfeed and lead to poor latch, nipple pain and trauma, decreased milk intake and a decline in milk supply over time. The medical term for tongue tie is “ankyloglossia” and studies show the defect is likely hereditary.
What is a lip tie?
Many babies with a tongue tie, also have an abnormally tight membrane attaching their upper lip to their upper gums (the labial frenulum). This is called a lip tie. Babies with a lip tie often have difficulty flanging their lips properly to feed and can’t create a proper seal at the breast. This can cause them to take in excess air during breastfeeding, which often makes these babies gassy and fussy (colic).
Infants
If you or your infant have more than a few of these symptoms, even with good weight gain, your child should be properly evaluated for a tongue and lip tie.
Mother’s Symptoms
Painful nursing
Creased or flattened nipples
Blistered or cut nipples
Incomplete breast drainage
Plugged ducts or mastitis
Inability to nurse without using a nipple shield
Decreased milk supply
Infant’s Symptoms
Poor latch
Poor weight gain
Reflux or frequent spitting up
Frequent gassiness and fussiness
Clicking or smacking noises when eating
Dribbling milk out of mouth
Frustration when eating
Inability to hold a pacifier
Prolonged nursing or bottle-feeding sessions
How the Procedure Works
After listening to your concerns and conducting a comprehensive assessment, Dr. Lela will help you get to the root cause of the issues you or your child is experiencing. If a tongue or lip tie is the culprit, we’ll go beyond a traditional snip or clip and release it completely the first time.
The procedure performed to release a tongue or lip tie is called a frenectomy. For older children and teens/adults sutures are sometimes needed, called a frenuloplasty.
*We do not use sedation or general anesthesia for this quick procedure on infants.
- Release -
For our infant frenectomies, we use a state-of-the-art CO2 dental laser that easily releases ties in a 10-15 second procedure per site, usually with minimal to no bleeding. (read more about our laser below)
- Reunite -
Babies go to mom following the procedure and are encouraged to nurse immediately. We welcome your lactation consultant to participate in the appointment to assist with the baby latching. Do not be discouraged if they do not latch immediately. Your baby is exploring the new movements of their tongue and/or lip and need to be taught how to properly use it.
- Recheck -
We’ll teach you exercises to do at home to help get the best results. Then, we’ll follow-up one week after the procedure. During this time, it is extremely important that you continue working with your lactation consultant to aid in the baby obtaining a proper latch.
- Release -
We highly recommend treatment with an Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist prior to the procedure for optimal results and to minimize bleeding. We typically use a state-of-the-art CO2 dental laser that easily releases ties in a 10-15 second procedure per site, usually with minimal to no bleeding. (read more about our laser below) If the tie is determined to be deeper within the tissue, it is possible sutures will need to be placed (called a Frenuloplasty).
For anxious children, nitrous oxide or oral conscious sedation is NOT recommended. Therefore, we perform the procedure with an anesthesiologist while the child is completely asleep.
- Recheck -
Although we’ll teach you exercises to do with your child at home, we highly encourage following up with an Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist to help get the best results. Then, we’ll follow-up one week after the procedure.
- Release -
We highly recommend treatment with an Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist prior to the procedure for optimal results and to minimize bleeding. We typically use a state-of-the-art CO2 dental laser that easily releases ties in a 10-15 second procedure per site, usually with minimal to no bleeding. (read more about our laser below) If the tie is determined to be deeper within the tissue, it is possible sutures will need to be placed (called a Frenuloplasty).
For anxious individuals, nitrous oxide or oral conscious sedation is NOT recommended. Therefore, we perform the procedure with an anesthesiologist while the patient is completely asleep.
- Recheck -
Although we’ll teach you exercises to do at home, we highly encourage following up with an Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist to help get the best results. Then, we’ll follow-up one week after the procedure.
Our Laser
Lightscalpel CO2 Laser
Dr. Lela offers the best laser for her lip- and tongue-tie releases, the Lightscalpel CO2 laser. All lasers are not made the same. Each one cuts tissue differently and it’s important that you understand how they work.
Ultimately, it boils down to water. Each laser’s light interacts with water differently.
Lightscalpel CO2 Laser: short absorption depth in water-rich soft tissue, resulting in precise cutting/ablation and sufficient hemostasis (bleeding control).
Diode Laser: extended absorption depth in water-rich soft tissue, resulting in burning tissue rather than cutting tissue. Diode lasers create extreme heat damage and kills tissue far beyond where you want the cut to be.
Er-Yag Laser: very short absorption depth in water-rich soft tissue, resulting in insufficient hemostasis (bleeding control) in soft tissue.
Dr. Lela is a skilled Pediatric Dentist and Tongue-tie Specialist at Smile Pediatric Dental Care in New Braunfels, TX. She offers in-office laser frenectomy treatment for assisting babies to latch on to the breast for better breastfeeding. In addition, she treats children and adults with a functional frenuloplasty technique, that integrates myofunctional therapy to best treat tongue restrictions.