Tongue Ties and Lip Ties

What is a Frenectomy and why is it needed?

Our mouths have several bands of tissue called frenums. When there is an abnormal development of those frenums, a tethered oral tissue (TOT) occurs. These are often known as tongue ties (ankyloglossia) and lip ties.

If left untreated, these ties can result in restrictions in movement that can cause significant difficulty with breastfeeding, and in some instances, other health problems like dental decay or spacing, speech difficulties, and digestive issues.

A frenectomy is a procedure that releases the frenum. Our office utilizes numbing medication and laser release of ties. We believe in treating all our patients with compassion and that starts when they are just infants! We know that infants can feel pain and we numb accordingly. We utilize the laser to efficiently release the frenums tethering the genioglossus muscle (for tongue ties) or the orbicularis oris (for lip ties) and this technique results in a diamond shape wound. The laser helps to minimize post-operative bleeding. We provide each family with detailed aftercare instructions to help ensure success, as well as encourage more visits with their lactation consultant or speech language pathologists.