Laser Tongue Tie
Laser Tongue Tie | Every parent’s greatest desire is that their child will be born perfect from head to toe. However, even the smallest imperfections can cause problems down the road. Tongue tie is a condition that can cause speech problems later on. It can lead to difficulties with a baby breast-feeding and swallowing properly.
Laser tongue tie is a procedure involving a form of surgery to help even the youngest of patients.
What is tongue tie?
If your baby cannot properly feed, they may have a condition known as ankyloglossia – more commonly known as tongue tie. Present at birth, this condition restricts tongue movements because the tissue attaching the bottom of the mouth to the tongue is not long enough.
Infants with tongue tie cannot properly move their tongue, so they are unable to drink an adequate amount of milk when feeding. This can lead to an infant remaining hungry and losing weight if early treatment is not performed.
A parent who is unfamiliar with this condition may start noticing that their child is having difficulty when they attempt to speak and feed. Oral hygiene concerns may become evident as the child grows older.
A similar condition is known as lip tie. It occurs when soft tissues behind the lip are attached tightly to the upper jaw, restricting lip movement. This can lead to feeding difficulties when left untreated.
Tongue Tie Symptoms
Ultimately, whether a child has tongue tie or not can be determined during an examination. However, some common symptoms include:
- Falling asleep while nursing
- Colic symptoms
- Reflux symptoms
- Slow weight gain
- Long feedings
Frenectomy
The frenectomy is the most commonly used treatment for tongue tie. Normally, a doctor would snip the “tie” using scissors to free the tongue. The procedure works quite often but may involve some minor bleeding. The use of a CO2 laser has now become the standard of treatment among many doctors.
Some benefits of using a CO2 laser to treat tongue tie include:
- Enhanced surgical precision
- Less discomfort and pain after the procedure
- Reduced swelling and infection risk
- Less wound contraction and scarring
- You bleed less
- Less time involved
Laser Tongue Tie Treatment
Furthermore, This procedure utilizes a safe CO2 laser for treating infants, adolescents or adults. A soft tissue laser is used to carefully free the tongue while also sterilizing the area, lowering the risks of infection and speeding recovery.
Procedure Aftercare
It can take a few weeks, or months, for a baby to become accustomed to using their tongue correctly after their procedure. The area just needs to heal and undergo therapy so that things are working correctly.
It is normal to experience some increased stimulation of salivary flow after laser tongue tie surgery.
Schedule Your Consultation
Learn more about our laser tongue tie treatment by scheduling a consultation today. You can contact us at (781) 861-7645.
