922 Waltham St #202 Lexington, MA 02421
Lip Tie Infants | Tongue Tie Infants – Infants that are unable to feed properly could have ankyloglossia, or tongue-tie. This condition restricts the tongue due to the lingual frenulum, or tissue, that is holding the tip of the tongue to the lower mouth area. An infant with tongue-tie is unable to move their tongue properly to consume enough milk. Therefore, the infant may be persistently hungry and lose weight if not treated as soon as possible. Some parents are unfamiliar of the condition and as the child grows older, complications with speaking and chewing become more obvious. Fortunately, CO2 laser release is a procedure that uses a soft tissue laser to gently free the tongue from the excess frenulum. The CO2 laser also sterilizes the area which reduces the chance of infection and recovery is quicker.
To learn more about laser lip and tongue-tie release for infants and children in Lexington, read on below or call our friendly team of expert dentists at Lexington Smile Studio.
Symptoms may include the following:
Before birth, the lingual frenulum separates naturally. However, there are instances when it does not. The reason is unknown but some researchers suggest it could be hereditary.
The tongue is very important. It helps babies and children to feed, learn to speak, maintain oral health, and live a quality life. Tongue-tie condition restricts a growing child in the following ways.
Feeding – Infants naturally know how to suck for milk. However, the restraint of tongue-tie makes sucking difficult for them. They have to force the action more which causes stress and refrains them from consuming enough milk. Needless to say, your baby is losing nutrition and not developing as he or she should.
Speech – As your baby gets older and starts to learn words, tongue-tie will make speaking challenging. Some words will be difficult to pronounce and your child will not speak clearly.
Oral Hygiene – Untreated tongue-tie can cause oral issues like tooth decay and gum disease due to the lack of mobility. Your tongue naturally helps keep teeth clean. And when the tongue is positioned correctly, the teeth are more likely to develop correctly without gaps or spaces.
Overall Interference – As your baby grows into a wandering child and later an adult, they will have limitations. Enjoying lollipops, ice cream, public speaking, and romantic relationships will be challenging.
Lip Tie Infants | Tongue Tie Infants – Parents need to consider a CO2 laser release treatment for tongue-tie condition to avoid these issues. Consult with us today to learn more about your infant or child’s procedure. Call (781) 861-7645 or request an appointment online.
Monday: 8:00am-6:00pm
Tuesday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Wednesday: 8:00am-6:00pm
Thursday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Friday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am-2:00pm
The New York Times has published “Inside the Booming Business of Cutting Babies’ Tongues” on December 18th, 2023. At Lexington Smile Studio, we are glad that attention is brought to this topic, as there has been an overwhelming number of providers who have recently started doing lip and tongue tie releases, and treat these procedures as a business only.
At Lexington Smile Studio, we have been providing these services for more than 10 years working in close collaboration with lactation consultants, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, myofunctional therapists and pediatricians. We are not a one stop practice.
Dr Rosenberg first and now Dr McElligott have been caring for infants and their mothers for a long time with dedication, empathy, understanding and teamwork with the other specialists involved. As Dr McElligott explains to parents during consultations, this is a process not a procedure.
Our success has been based over the years on word of mouth from the families we have treated. Our success is the magnitude of babies who are now thriving because of the release they received by us and, just as importantly, the magnitude of babies who didn’t receive it, simply because we directed the families to the right specialists.
We truly care for all parents and their infants’ well being and we hope that this article will raise public awareness so that families will put their babies in the hands of the right providers.
The Staff and Doctors at
Lexington Smile Studio
