Eat, speak, sleep, breathe.
A tongue-tie or lip-tie is a small piece of restrictive tissue. The procedure to release it is quick. The downstream improvement in feeding, speech, sleep, and breathing is usually substantial.
Why families choose this service
Infant feeding
Difficulty latching, prolonged feeds, or sore nipples for nursing parents often resolve quickly after the procedure.
Speech and eating
Older kids who struggle to pronounce certain sounds or eat certain textures benefit from greater tongue mobility.
Sleep and breathing
Tongue ties can contribute to mouth breathing and disrupted sleep. Release often improves both within weeks.
About this service
A frenum is a small fold of tissue that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth (lingual frenum) or the upper lip to the gum (labial frenum). When the frenum is too tight or too thick, it can restrict the movement of the tongue or lip in ways that affect feeding, speech, breathing, or oral hygiene.
Frenectomy is the procedure to release that restrictive tissue. In our office it is performed under appropriate anesthesia for the age of the patient, takes only a few minutes for the actual release, and heals over a couple of weeks with simple post-care exercises.
We see frenectomy patients across the age spectrum: newborns referred by lactation consultants for feeding difficulty, toddlers with delayed speech, and older children whose orthodontic gap or dental crowding traces back to a labial frenum that was missed earlier.
What is involved
- Consultation to assess whether the frenum is restrictive enough to warrant release.
- Coordination with lactation consultants, speech-language pathologists, or ENTs when relevant.
- Frenectomy procedure with appropriate anesthesia (infant procedures are typically done with topical numbing).
- Post-procedure exercises and follow-up to support healing and prevent reattachment.
- Follow-up visit at one to two weeks to confirm healing is going well.
Common questions
How do I know if my child has a tongue-tie?+
Signs in infants include difficulty latching, clicking sounds while feeding, prolonged feeds, and a heart-shaped or rounded tongue tip when extended. In older children, look for trouble lifting the tongue to touch the upper lip, speech sounds that are hard to articulate, or a notable gap between the upper front teeth tied to a thick labial frenum.
How long does the procedure take?+
The release itself takes a few minutes. The full appointment, including the assessment, anesthesia, and aftercare instructions, is usually 30 to 45 minutes.
Is recovery painful?+
There is mild discomfort for a day or two, manageable with age-appropriate pain relief. The exercises we send home are critical to prevent the tissue from reattaching during healing; we will walk you through them at the visit.
Will my baby feed better right away?+
Many infants latch noticeably better within hours. Some take a few feeds to adjust. We recommend a follow-up with the lactation consultant who referred you to confirm the latch is improving as expected.
If you are unsure whether your child needs the procedure, start with the consultation. Not every short frenum needs to be released; the decision is based on whether it is actually restricting function.