Lip & Tongue-Tie Treatment – San Ramon, CA
A Gentle Solution for Restricted Lips and Tongues
Does your infant have trouble breastfeeding? Do you have an older child who finds it hard to eat certain foods or make certain sounds? These symptoms can point to an overly restricted lip or tongue, also known as a lip or tongue-tie. In general, it’s best to have the issue treated by a children’s dentist in San Ramon as quickly as possible in order to improve your little one’s oral function. If you suspect that your child has a lip or tongue-tie, give Oak Ridge Dental a call today.
Why Choose Oak Ridge Dental for Lip & Tongue-Tie Treatment?
- Gentle State-of-the-Art Fotona LightWalker® Laser
- Friendly, Caring Dentists and Staff
- Saturday Appointments Available
How Do Lip and Tongue-Ties Develop?
The root cause of lip and tongue-ties is a small piece of connective tissue known as a frenulum. A labial frenulum connects the lip to the gums while a lingual frenulum connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth. If your child has a frenulum that is too short or thick, it can interfere with their lip or tongue movement. The result is a lip or tongue-tie, which often results in the following symptoms:
- Having trouble latching properly during breastfeeding.
- Colic and other digestive problems.
- Sleep breathing issues.
- Misaligned or crooked teeth.
Why Is It Important to Treat Lip & Tongue Ties?
As noted above, infants with lip and tongue-tie often have difficulty breastfeeding. Consequently, they may not receive enough milk, leading to poor weight gain. If you want your baby to grow up healthy, you should quickly address the lip or tongue-tie that’s preventing them from feeding properly.
Lip and tongue-ties can also cause challenges for older children. For example, they might gag or otherwise experience difficulties while eating solid foods. On top of that, they may have trouble pronouncing words that contain specific sounds (with common examples being th, t, and s). Correcting your child’s lip or tongue-tie could be the key to improving their quality of life and keeping their development on track.
How We Treat Lip & Tongue-Ties
At our practice, we treat lip and tongue-ties with frenectomies in San Ramon. A frenectomy involves removing the restrictive tissue so that your child can move their lip or tongue properly. Our team is able to perform this procedure with a Fotona LightWalker® laser, which causes significantly less discomfort than traditional dental instruments and helps keep discomfort and bleeding to a minimum. Overall, the treatment is very simple and can often be completed in less than 15 minutes.
