.svg)
.webp)
Gentle Care for Tongue & Lip Ties
Frenectomies
Tongue and lip ties affect up to 10% of kids. These conditions can restrict your child’s oral range of motion and cause issues with speech, breastfeeding, and more. At Sprouting Smiles Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Wendy Yang can help treat tongue and lip ties with gentle frenectomies. Contact our pediatric dentistry in San Diego today at (858) 888-9298 to schedule your appointment.
Understanding the Basics
What Are Tongue Ties?
A tongue-tie, also known as “ankyloglossia,” happens when the band of tissue (frenulum) that connects your child’s tongue to the bottom of their mouth is too thick and overdeveloped. This interferes with their ability to move their tongue and latch when breastfeeding, and also can cause speech difficulties or lead to your child swallowing improperly.
Understanding the Basics
What Are Lip Ties?
Lip ties are similar to tongue ties, but involve the frenulum that connects your child’s upper, lower, or both lips to the gums. If this band of tissue is too thick, your child may not be able to move their lips properly to breastfeed, which can cause issues with feeding, weight gain, and overall development.
Signs to Look Out For
Does My Child Have a Tongue or Lip Tie?
Tongue ties and lip ties usually have similar signs. Your child may have trouble breastfeeding properly, may need to feed for a long time, may seem hungry all the time, or may tend to chew on the nipple. They may also have colic (cry frequently) or may not be gaining weight as quickly as they should.
For tongue ties, in particular, you may also notice that your baby can’t move their tongue very far in their mouth or stick it past the gums. It may also have a “heart” or “v” shape at the tip when your child sticks it out.
The Frenectomy Process
Treating Tongue and Lip Ties
A frenectomy is a simple pediatric surgical procedure that takes only a few minutes. To begin the process, Dr. Wendy will clean your child’s mouth, and she will apply a topical anesthetic to the treatment area to make sure your little one doesn’t feel any pain or discomfort.
Then, Dr. Wendy will use a special dental tool to snip the tongue tie or lip tie, releasing the tongue or lips and allowing them to move properly. It will be cleaned and sanitized to make sure it doesn’t become infected. Usually, you’ll come back for a follow-up after a week or so. Dr. Wendy will check the results of the procedure to ensure it went well.
This procedure is minimally-invasive and is highly effective at reversing tongue and lip ties and helping your child feed, chew, and speak properly in the future. Contact us today to schedule your appointment today with Dr. Wendy.
Help Your Child & Get Peace of Mind
The Benefits of Frenectomies
Getting a frenectomy ensures that your child’s tongue and lip ties will not interfere with their long-term oral development or ability to feed and eat as they grow.
They will be able to breastfeed and bottle feed more effectively as infants, and you will not have to worry about speech impediments or chewing issues as they grow older.
.webp)