Ankyloglossia restricts feeding, speech, breathing and jaw growth. Released with a dental laser — no cut, no bleeding, no suture.
A tongue tie (ankyloglossia) is a fibrous band under the tongue that restricts movement needed for feeding, speech, breathing and jaw growth. It is released with a dental laser — no cut, no bleeding, no suture.
Ankyloglossia — commonly called a tongue tie — is a band of tissue connecting the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. In some people that tissue is very fibrous, and it restricts tongue movement.
Tongue movement is involved in far more than speech. A restrictive tie can affect:
This is why it is often picked up late — the problem shows up as a feeding difficulty in a newborn, or a speech difficulty in a child, and the cause underneath goes unexamined for years.
The same restriction can occur with the band of tissue connecting the upper lip to the gum. It is treated in the same way and is frequently found alongside a tongue tie.
The release procedure is called a frenectomy, and we perform it with a laser rather than a blade. That means the advantages lasers bring to all our surgical work apply here: no cut, no bleeding, no suture, minimal anaesthetic, and faster healing.
For an infant or a small child, that difference is the whole difference — it turns a frightening procedure into a brief one.
If a newborn is struggling to latch or feed, if a toddler’s speech is unclear in a way that is not resolving, or if an older child mouth-breathes persistently, it is worth having the tongue and lip looked at. An examination costs nothing but time, and rules it in or out in minutes.
It restricts tongue movements essential for breastfeeding and sucking, swallowing, eating, drinking, chewing, breathing, speech, jaw growth, posture and digestion.
A laser frenectomy means no cut, no bleeding and no suture, with minimal anaesthetic and faster healing. For an infant or small child that difference is the whole difference.
If a newborn struggles to latch or feed, if a toddler’s speech is unclear and not resolving, or if an older child mouth-breathes persistently.
Send us a message. If it is something simpler, we will say so.
