Laser Dentistry

Laser dentistry is one of dentistry’s latest advances. The Star Wars type laser beam delivers energy in the form of light. Depending on the intended result, this energy travels at different wavelengths and is absorbed by a “target.” In dentistry, these targets can be enamel, decay, or soft tissue. Each one absorbs a different wavelength of light while reflecting others.

Laser treatment can be used for:

  • Tongue & Lip Tie Management
  • Management of Ulcers / Gum Lesions

A tongue tie occurs when the frenulum under the tongue is attached too close to the tip of the tongue, shortening the mobility and range of motion of the tongue. Moms who suspect their child may have a tongue tie may notice:
Issue with the breastfeeding
Trouble speaking
Inability to stick tongue out
Gap between bottom two teeth
Personal or social issues related to the restricted tongue movement
Your pediatrician or dentist can help you diagnose a tongue tie and assist you in figuring out the appropriate path to take for resolving the tongue tie. Through a physical exam and evaluating symptoms, the pediatrician or dentist will help you determine if treatment is necessary or if it may go away on its own.

Lip ties and tongue ties can affect children’s ability to speak and eat, as well as their confidence. Correcting a lip tie or tongue tie helps your child be able to eat and speak better, but also allows for their baby teeth and adult teeth to develop properly with the correct placement. Frenectomies are highly effective, and will have your child feeding, speaking and feeling better.

Correcting a tongue or lip tie can improve your child’s overall quality of life. By releasing the tongue or lip tie, you may notice these improvements:

Better latching while breastfeeding in infants
Improved breathing
Alleviate indigestion and reflux
Increase confidence in your child

A lip tie occurs when the soft tissue connecting the lip to the upper teeth is too short or too thick, limiting the movement of the lip. A lip tie can occur on both the top and bottom lip, but unlike a tongue tie, a lip tie will not resolve itself.
Breastfeeding mothers may notice these symptoms if their child has a lip tie:

Inability to latch during feeding or difficulty staying latched
Making a clicking sound while feeding
Choking or sputtering on milk
Poor weight gain
Jaundice
Cluster feeding

Laser technology is used to make your child’s frenectomy (tongue/lip tie surgery) as safe and painless as possible. A frenectomy procedure simply makes a small cut in your child’s lip or tongue tie to release the tissue. Using a laser, this minimizes any bleeding, eliminates the need for stitches and greatly lowers the risk of infection. We will numb the area with an analgesic gel, then with the specialized laser, create a small slit that will release the lip or tongue tie. This procedure is done with the safety and comfortability of your child in mind.