Serenity Tongue-Tie Center
by Dr. Caroline Thomas
a compassionate, modern approach to infant tongue-tie & lip-tie care
Mom to Mom: Better is possible.
Feeding doesn’t have to be a frustrating struggle. Trust your intuition.
ser.en.i.ty (n) - “the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled.”
What is a frenectomy?
A frenectomy is when tiny cords of overly-tight, thick, or short tissue (often called “tongue-tie” or “ankyloglossia”), that should have dissolved in utero, are surgically released to allow for more ideal movement of the tongue, lips, and cheeks. At our office, Dr. Thomas uses a gentle LightScalpel CO2 laser to release the tight tissue.
Approximately 30% of babies are born with a functionally-limiting tongue-tie restriction and would receive life-time benefits from a frenectomy.
Not all frenums need to be released, however, which is why it is very important to have your infant examined by the appropriate specialists to discuss symptoms and to assess feeding, anatomy, and oral motor skills.
Why release tongue-ties & lip-ties?
-
Better Eating
The tongue and lips are able to move more freely to allow for ease of eating and swallowing, whether breast feeding, taking a bottle, or eating solid foods. There is also often a decrease in choking, gagging, and texture issues. Less discomfort, for both baby and mom, is a welcomed benefit we hear most often!
-
Sounder Sleeping
The tongue will be able to rest in its ideal position on the palate. This aids in less sleep-disordered breathing, and thus allows for longer periods of REM sleep, which is the vital time in babies when growth hormone is released. In older children this often translates to less snoring, bed wetting, and teeth grinding.
-
Ease of Speaking
By increasing the tongue’s range of motion, sounds and words are able to be formed properly which builds confidence in learning to articulate well. After release, children often speak and read with less difficulty and delays. Improvement in the number of new words spoken daily is often seen in older children.
10% Directly Donated
At Serenity Tongue-Tie Center, 10% of every frenectomy will be donated to help rescue our world’s children in need.
When your family visits our office, you are helping to directly fund efforts to stop the trafficking of the 1.2 million children taken each year.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you do for one of the least of these, you do for me.” - Jesus, Matthew 25:40
Learn more at Operation Underground Railroad
