Tongue
The tongue is really important for eating, swallowing, speaking, sleeping, and for optimal growth of the maxilla and mandible.
Dr. Arias treats tongue ties in babies, kids and adults.
Dr. Arias likes a team approach depending on the age of the patients, she may work with other providers like lactation consultants, oral motor therapists, speech therapists, myofunctional therapists,s or body workers to achieve better outcomes and to achieve the tongue’s fullest potential and re training.
Tongue and Lip Tie Release on Babies or Frenectomy
A baby with a tongue or lip tie could experience nursing or bottle feeding issues. When a baby has a lip or tongue tie it will interfere with proper latching and suctioning. Often this is overlooked and the mom ends up quitting breastfeeding. Dr. Carla Arias works with the support of lactation consultants, oral motor therapists, physical therapists, and bodyworkers.
Common baby symptoms are poor latch, falling asleep while breastfeeding, long feeding, sliding off the breast, clicking, popping, poor weight gain, gassy, colics, acid reflux, and lip blisters.
Often mom’s symptoms are also overlooked which are: severe pain, nipple damage, poor incomplete drainage, mastitis, low milk supply, and infected nipples.
Postoperative stretches are done for a course of 4 weeks and they are key to successful healing.
The procedure is done safely with a Lightscalpel which is a CO2 laser. A numbing cream is placed first and then the procedure is done. No stitches are used in babies. Baby will latch to mom or bottle feed right after the procedure is done.
Example of tongue tie
Lip Tie
Babies:
Lip ties can interfere with the proper flanging of lips for nursing and bottle feeding. The baby ends up swallowing a lot of air because of improper lip seal causing aerophagia and colics. Often it becomes really painful for breastfeeding moms because babies will do a chopping and bitting movement on the nipple instead of suctioning.
Kids:
Lip ties could cause spacing between permanent central incisors. If removed prior to the eruption of permanent canines space starts closing by itself.
Teen and Adults:
When a gap between the permanent central incisors exists and the patient has orthodontic treatment, the space will open again if the lip tie is not removed.
Video of Laser Lip Release Procedure
