Pediatric Dentist Treats Babies with Tongue-Tie at Bear Brook Dental Care

Pediatric Dentist Treats Babies with Tongue-Tie at Bear Brook Dental Care, updated 8/18/20, 5:38 AM

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Dr. Tommy Lee of Bear Brook Dental Care is a pediatric dentist that specializes in treating ankyloglossia, or tongue-tie, in infants. You can visit his website at www.bearbrookdentalcare.com.

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Pediatric Dentist Treats
Babies with Tongue-Tie
at Bear Brook Dental
Care
If you’ve never heard of tongue-tie (ankyloglossia), don’t assume
it’s rare. Up to 11% of babies are born with this congenital
condition, meaning that it’s considered common.
Babies with tongue-tie have restricted
range of motion in the tongue,
because ankyloglossia is a condition
where the lingual frenulum ‘ties’ the
tongue tip to the floor of the mouth.
The severity of ankyloglossia varies case-by-case, but it has been linked to colic, a lack
of healthy weight gain, issues with the child's front teeth, speech impediments in older
children, and even painful breastfeeding experiences for mothers.
Tongue-tie is more common in boys, and can
present a wide range of problems if the
condition is severe enough. Newborns with
tongue-tie are much more likely to have
problems breastfeeding, which can result in
problems of its own.
Common symptoms in babies with tongue-tie
include:
Lack of weight gain, limited tongue
movement, tooth decay, silent reflux, colic,
a visibly tight or short frenulum, speech
impediments or speech difficulties in older
children, and gaps between lower and
upper front teeth.
There are many treatment options for tongue-tie. The condition is easily treatable
with a simple procedure called ‘lingual frenectomy,’ also sometimes referred to as a
‘frenotomy procedure’ or even ‘tongue tie surgery.’
To perform a frenectomy, a pediatric dentist
or a pediatrician will use sterile surgical tools
to cut the frenulum that ties the tongue to the
floor of the mouth. This will result in freedom
and increased motion of the tongue.
The healing process is very quick as well — infants that undergo a
frenectomy procedure will be able to latch and breastfeed
successfully almost immediately following the procedure.
There are other options on how to treat
tongue-tie, depending on the severity of the
case. There are nonsurgical tongue-tie
treatments available for milder cases. For
more severe cases, though, surgical
treatment may be necessary.
With degrees and training from institutions like Yale and Columbia University, Dr. Tommy Lee, co-
founder of Bear Brook Dental Care, is Montvale, New Jersey’s premier pediatric dentist -- which is
why parents from all over New Jersey trust Dr. Lee to treat their tongue-tie baby.
Dr. Lee is one of the few pediatric dental
specialists in the area that can surgically
treat tongue-tie. The procedure is nearly
painless and, in most cases, infants can
successfully breastfeed immediately after the
treatment.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Lee today, visit www.bearbrookdentalcare.com