What is a Tongue-Tie
Tongue-tie or Ankyloglossia is a condition where a tight or short band of tissue (frenulum) under the tongue prevents a person from moving their tongue in one or more ways that they should normally be able to.
Laser Frenectomy
Our practice is dedicated to providing the highest quality lactation, breastfeeding, and postpartum care. We incorporate the latest technology to meet your needs effectively. We use laser technology for infant oral restriction releases, known as laser frenectomy. This procedure uses a highly focused CO2 laser beam to vaporize tissue precisely while sealing blood vessels, taking only 3 to 5 seconds per area. Babies spend about 5 to 10 minutes in the procedure room.
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The CO2 cold laser procedure is safe, precise, and often bloodless, allowing babies to feed immediately afterward. We offer in-office comfort measures to reduce pain and ensure a positive experience for everyone involved.
What to Expect
The Team Approach
Releasing a baby's tongue tie is just one part of overcoming feeding difficulties. It is important to us that you and your baby receive individualized care for your specific needs. We require that you work with an IBCLC as part of this process. IBCLCs are the only Lactation Consultants with a Clinical Scope of Practice and Clinically Validated Skills for complex feeding issues. ​
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Infants over 4 months old will be evaluated for in office frenectomy on a case by case basis. Older babies and toddlers will be referred out to practitioners with expertise in these age groups.
Patient Referrals
If your family has been referred to us for tongue tie you can expect a thorough and gentle evaluation of your infant's mouth and how they are feeding. If your baby is breastfeeding or nursing, this means looking at how your baby is latching. If your baby is bottle feeding, this means looking at how your baby is latching to the bottle.
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Care Options
After we have completed the exam, we will discuss our recommendations and care options for your family. This might include a recommendation for manual therapy, frenectomy, or both. The types of manual therapist we may recommend include Osteopathic Physicians, Chiropractors, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, or Massage Therapists. We will review the different types of treatment these practitioners have to offer you and your baby.
Clinical Lactation Support
Because all of our clinical staff members have specialized training in complex lactation support, we also have the opportunity to address issues like low milk supply, painful latch, persistent sore nipples, slow infant weight gain and other common concerns surrounding breastfeeding, nursing, pumping and infant feeding.
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After Care
Frenectomy aftercare includes gentle infant oral exercises that promote lots of tongue movement during the healing process. We demonstrate how to do this before the procedure, and encourage families to record the exercises performed with their infant to refer back to. When we see you for your follow up we will monitor how your baby's mouth is healing.
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Frenectomy Procedure
Your infant's safety and comfort are our top priorities during a frenectomy procedure. With your consent we will apply a numbing gel to the areas that will have the procedure, this lasts between 20-30 min. We also utilize warm swaddles for comfort and safety. All babies will have protective eyewear placed over their eyes during the procedure.
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We have additional pain relief treatment in office that include over the counter medications and homeopathic treatments. ​​
Our procedure room has been insulated with sound absorbing material to help decrease the sound carrying through the clinic.
Due to the nature of the procedure your baby will cry, however we will make every effort to keep your baby as comfortable as possible before, during, and after their procedure.
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We encourage you to breast or bottle feed your baby before the procedure and after because suckling has been shown to be a strong pain reliever for babies.
