Laser Frenectomies – Oklahoma City, OK
The Safe, Comfortable Solution to Lip & Tongue Ties
When your child has a lip or tongue tie, it can make everyday activities like eating and breathing a challenge. Correcting these issues can make an incredible difference in both their oral and overall health, improving everything from breastfeeding to proper breathing and speech development. At Casady Square Orthodontics, we offer a safe, effective, and comfortable lip and tongue tie treatment known as a laser frenectomy. To learn more the many benefits of laser frenectomies in Oklahoma City and how this treatment can help your child, schedule a consultation with us today.
Why Choose Casady Square Orthodontics for Laser Frenectomies?
- Fast, Comfortable Treatment
- Little to No Bleeding
- Requires No Stitches in Most Cases
What is a Laser Frenectomy?
A laser frenectomy is a treatment that cuts the band of skin that tethers the tongue to the floor of the mouth or the lip to the gums. Known as a frenulum, in most cases this skin does not pose any issues; however, in some children it can be too short, thick or malformed, causing issues with tongue and lip mobility. This in turn can make things like eating, speaking clearly, and even breathing difficult.
A laser frenectomy uses a beam of concentrated light to essentially vaporize the frenulum tissue. This benefits your child by cauterizing the tissue as it cuts, meaning there’s not usually a need for sutures, and there’s less bleeding immediately following the procedure. Better still, it lowers your child’s risk of infection while it heals and makes the overall healing process much more comfortable than it might be with a traditional procedure using a scalpel.
How Do Lip & Tongue Ties Develop?
Lip and tongue ties are the result of thick or malformed oral tissues. Lip ties occur when the tissue that connects the lips to the gums is too short or thick, while tongue ties are the result of the lingual frenulum (the tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth) is too short, thick, or malformed.
Some warning signs that your child could have a lip or tongue tie include:
- Problems latching while breastfeeding.
- Falling asleep while trying to latch during breastfeeding.
- Digestive issues such as colic or acid reflux.
- Inability to hold a pacifier in their mouth.
- Prolonged nursing sessions.
Breastfeeding parents may also notice symptoms such as:
- Pain while nursing.
- Flattened or creased nipples.
- Cut or blistered nipples.
- Mastitis or clogged milk ducts.
- Low or inadequate milk supply.
Why Is It Important to Treat Lip & Tongue Ties?
Although it may seem minor, when left untreated lip and tongue ties can cause many developmental issues for children, including:
- Speech delays or difficulties creating certain sounds.
- Digestive problems such as acid reflux.
- Breathing difficulties and airway issues.
- Forward head and neck posture.
- Teeth grinding (bruxism).
In addition to causing a variety of medical problems, each of these issues can diminish your child’s quality of life and make it difficult for them to feel comfortable socially and at school, which can negatively impact their self-esteem and confidence during their formative years.
Benefits of Laser Frenectomies
At Casady Square Orthodontics, we proudly use a soft tissue laser in our laser frenectomy procedures. These devices work faster and more efficiently than traditional scalpels, and because they use concentrated light, they cauterize the incision as they cut, so the overall treatment is more comfortable and even heals faster than traditional methods.