Is your child having difficulties with speech or eating? Are you about ready to give up on nursing? Magic Smiles Dental, your neighborhood family dentist office in Mesa, may have a simple solution for you!
More and more infants – and, in some cases, teens and adults – suffer from easy-to-treat conditions called tongue tie or lip tie. In cases of tongue-tie and lip-tie, the frenum, the muscular attachment between your upper lip and gums is too short, restricting the movement of the lips and tongue.
Our pediatric dentists regularly treat tongue tie and lip tie with advanced dental tools that allow for simple, efficient procedures!
Symptoms of Tongue and Lip Tie
Infants who suffer from a restricted frenum may have issues with breastfeeding. If you notice any of these signs in your infant, call us right away:
- Insufficient latch when nursing
- Weight loss or failure to gain healthy weight
- Inability to hold pacifier in mouth without assistance
- Sleeping during nursing
- Excessive drooling
- Colic or gassiness
- “Gumming” when nursing instead of sucking productively
- Gasping while nursing
When babies suffer from restricted frenums, they do not get the nutrition they need, which can negatively impact their overall development. This condition can even cause cavities in baby teeth as milk and formula may not sufficiently clear from the mouth during mealtime.
If you’re a breastfeeding mother, you may notice pain and discomfort when breastfeeding, struggle with your milk supply or suffer recurring bouts of mastitis. If you’re concerned your child may have lip tie or tongue tie, let us know. We will fit you in for an appointment as soon as possible!
Advanced Lip Tie/Tongue Tie Laser Treatment
If our pediatric dentist finds that your child’s frenum is restricting movement, we may recommend a frenectomy to “release” it.
At Magic Smiles Dental of Mesa, most frenectomy procedures take as little as ten minutes to complete with local anesthesia. Even better, absolutely no stitches are required!
Following the procedure, your child should experience immediate relief. Breastfeeding should be instantly easier for infants – and for their moms, too!
Tongue & Lip Tie Care For More Successful Speech Therapy
Is your son or daughter struggling with a speech impediment, or seeing a speech therapist or pathologist? In many cases, a frenectomy (in conjunction with recommended speech exercises) can aid in lip and tongue movement, and the production of clearer speech!
Healthier Smiles Start Here!
Magic Smiles Dental is here to quickly and comfortably correct this condition – whether your child is an infant, or they are headed off to college.
Contact our Mesa office to schedule your same-day tongue tie or lip tie consultation today!