Tongue Tie Release in Savannah and Pooler, GA

What is a Tongue Tie Release?

A tongue tie release, also called a frenectomy, is an oral surgery procedure that increases your tongue’s range of motion. A tongue tie is a condition that is you are born with where there is a thick or tight band of tissue that restricts the bottom of your tongue to the floor of the mouth.

Coastal Ear, Nose, and Throat offers comprehensive ENT care including treatment for tongue ties. If your child has been diagnosed with a tongue tie and is in need of tongue tie release, call (912) 355-2335 to request an appointment at our ENT office in Savannah or Pooler today.

What is a Tongue Tie

If you touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth, you can probably feel what is known as the lingual frenum stretching underneath your tongue. This varies from person to person and some are born with a lingual frenum that’s very short that restricts the movement of the tongue. Tongue tie, or ankyloglossia, occurs in nearly five percent of infants.

What Does Tongue Tie Effect?

If you are born with a tongue tie, you may not have any complications. However, some choose to undergo a tongue tie release to help the following issues that may occur:

• Difficulty sticking out tongue
• Complications when trying to breastfeed
• Affects the way a child eats
• Issues with speech
• Impacting swallowing
• Oral health problems
• Gums pulling away from your teeth

Most cases may require a simple surgical procedure for correction.

How is a Tongue Tie Release Performed?

During the procedure, your surgeon cuts or modifies the band of connective tissue that joins two areas (frenum). In your mouth, this is found where your lips meet your gums and also where your tongue connects to the floor of your mouth. It is a very straightforward procedure and takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish. You can talk to your ENT specialist if you have any concerns.

Here’s what to expect:

• You or your infant will be secured and made comfortable. If it is an infant, a parent can often hold the child.
• Your ENT specialist may apply a topical anesthetic to the area to numb any pain.
• Your ENT specialist will quickly snip the frenum using a scalpel, surgical scissors, or a cauterizing instrument.

Recovery is often quick, especially for infants. Your baby can often feed immediately without any issues and resume normal activities.

Benefits of a Tongue Tie Release Procedure

There are many reasons why you or your child might choose to have a tongue tie release procedure. Most often, this procedure is done for babies who have difficultly breastfeeding.

This procedure may also help:

• Increase lip movement
• Increase tongue’s range of motion
• Fix a gap between teeth
• Limit gum recession
• Reduce oral health issues