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Lip & Tongue Tie Treatment – Doylestown, PA
Gentle Treatment to Restore Your Child’s Oral Function
Lip and tongue tie is a medical condition that’s often diagnosed in infants. It affects the ability to freely move the tongue around the mouth, creating significant problems for their growth and development. Not only can this affect how well they breastfeed, but how they speak as well. Luckily, Dr. Kandov can give your baby better oral function with a laser procedure known as a frenectomy. If you’d like to learn more about this solution, continue reading or give us a call today!
How Do Lip and Tongue Ties Develop?
A frenulum is a thick piece of tissue that connects the lips and tongue to the upper and lower teeth and the floor of the mouth. Usually, the tissue dissolves before the baby is born. There are rare cases where babies retain this tissue after birth, restricting movement and function, causing a lip or tongue tie.
Some of the most common symptoms of lip or tongue tie include:
- Trouble latching
- Sore nipples
- Slow or low weight gain
- Excessive fussiness
Why is it Important to Treat Lip & Tongue Ties?
If left untreated, a lip or tongue tie can lead to several developmental issues in children. For example, your baby may not be able to breastfeed as they should, failing to gain weight and thrive. Even if you bypass the nursing problems, the complications from a lip or tongue tie can follow them well into childhood and adulthood.
Your child may find it difficult to pronounce certain sounds, hindering their speech progression and leading to issues with communication. In addition, this can affect their self-confidence and ability to enjoy their life to the fullest.
Lip & Tongue Tie Treatment
Long ago, lip and tongue ties were addressed using a scalpel and sutures. As you can imagine, this was often a painful and stressful process for little ones. These days, you can expect far more comfortable treatment!
Dr. Kandov will use a dental laser to release the lip or tongue tie more gently. It removes the thick tissue with little bleeding or discomfort. In fact, local anesthetics may not even be necessary! Not only is the procedure itself very quick (only takes a matter of minutes), but the recovery time is virtually non-existent.