A tongue tie or lip tie can affect your child from infancy through adolescence, creating challenges with feeding, speech, oral hygiene, and development. Kids Tooth Team Michigan performs laser frenectomies for children across Lake Orion, Fenton, and the surrounding communities of Oakland and Genesee counties using advanced CO2 laser technology that makes the procedure faster, gentler, and easier to recover from than traditional methods.
A frenectomy is a minor procedure that releases a tight or restrictive frenulum, the band of tissue that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth or the lips to the gums. When a frenulum is too short, thick, or tightly attached, it limits movement and can interfere with feeding in infants, speech development in toddlers and older children, oral hygiene, and even orthodontic outcomes. At Kids Tooth Team Michigan, we perform frenectomies using a CO2 soft tissue laser, which allows us to complete the procedure in minutes without scalpels, stitches, or significant bleeding.
Tongue and lip ties do not always resolve on their own, and waiting can lead to compounding problems that require more complex interventions including feeding therapy, speech therapy, or orthodontic correction. A laser frenectomy performed early is a brief, straightforward procedure with a short recovery and meaningful results.
Our CO2 laser performs the release with exceptional precision, cauterizing tissue as it works to minimize bleeding and reduce infection risk. There are no stitches, minimal discomfort, and a faster healing time than traditional scissor or scalpel methods.
A successful frenectomy can improve breastfeeding latch and efficiency in infants, support clearer speech in toddlers and school-age children, reduce gaps between teeth, improve oral hygiene access, and contribute to better sleep and comfort.
Not every tie requires treatment. Kids Tooth Team Michigan takes a thorough, individualized approach to evaluation. We only recommend a frenectomy when the functional impact is clear and when treatment is genuinely in your child's best interest.
Tongue and lip ties do not always resolve on their own, and waiting can lead to compounding problems that require more complex interventions including feeding therapy, speech therapy, or orthodontic correction. A laser frenectomy performed early is a brief, straightforward procedure with a short recovery and meaningful results.
Our CO2 laser performs the release with exceptional precision, cauterizing tissue as it works to minimize bleeding and reduce infection risk. There are no stitches, minimal discomfort, and a faster healing time than traditional scissor or scalpel methods.
A successful frenectomy can improve breastfeeding latch and efficiency in infants, support clearer speech in toddlers and school-age children, reduce gaps between teeth, improve oral hygiene access, and contribute to better sleep and comfort.
Not every tie requires treatment. Kids Tooth Team Michigan takes a thorough, individualized approach to evaluation. We only recommend a frenectomy when the functional impact is clear and when treatment is genuinely in your child's best interest.
A tongue tie, also called ankyloglossia, occurs when the lingual frenulum connecting the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth is too short, tight, or thick to allow full tongue movement. A lingual frenectomy releases the restriction using our CO2 laser, restoring the tongue's full range of motion. The procedure takes just a few minutes and requires no stitches.
A lip tie occurs when the frenulum connecting the upper lip to the gum tissue is too thick or attached too low, limiting how far the upper lip can flare. A labial frenectomy releases the frenulum using our CO2 laser, improving lip mobility and supporting better oral development going forward.
Kids Tooth Team Michigan uses CO2 laser technology for all soft tissue frenectomy procedures. The CO2 laser is precise, fast, and causes minimal trauma to surrounding tissue. Because the laser cauterizes as it releases, bleeding is minimal, the risk of infection is reduced, and healing is typically faster and more comfortable than procedures performed with traditional tools.
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We begin with a thorough evaluation of your child's oral anatomy and a conversation about the specific functional challenges you have observed. We assess the degree of restriction, discuss whether a frenectomy is the right course of action, and answer all of your questions before any procedure is scheduled.
The procedure area is numbed with a topical or local anesthetic appropriate for your child's age. Our CO2 laser is used to release the frenulum precisely and quickly, typically in just a few minutes. There is minimal to no bleeding and no stitches are required.
Before leaving our office, we walk you through the aftercare routine, which includes gentle stretching exercises performed at home to prevent the tissue from reattaching during healing. We provide clear written instructions and schedule a follow-up to confirm the site is healing properly.
Give us a call to chat with one of our friendly team members!
Common signs of a tongue tie in infants include poor latch, clicking sounds during nursing, slow weight gain, and maternal nipple pain or damage. In older children, signs may include difficulty sticking the tongue out past the lips, speech articulation challenges, or trouble moving food around the mouth. Lip tie signs include difficulty achieving a deep latch and a visible gap between the upper front teeth.
Not necessarily. Breastfeeding difficulty has many possible causes and not all of them are related to a tie. We recommend having a lactation consultant involved in the evaluation alongside our team. If a tongue or lip tie is identified and is the contributing factor to feeding challenges, a frenectomy is often an effective solution.
We use a topical or local anesthetic appropriate for your child's age before the procedure begins. The CO2 laser itself causes minimal tissue trauma and the procedure is brief. Most infants settle quickly after the release and many nurse immediately afterward.
No. The CO2 laser cauterizes the tissue as it releases, which means the site closes cleanly without the need for sutures. This is one of the primary advantages of laser frenectomy over traditional scissor or scalpel methods.
After a frenectomy, the released tissue has a tendency to reattach during healing if the area is not kept gently stretched and mobile. We teach you specific stretching exercises to perform at the release site multiple times per day for several weeks following the procedure.
Yes. Frenectomies are appropriate for patients of all ages. For older children and teenagers, common reasons for the procedure include persistent speech issues, a gap between the front teeth, gum recession related to a tight frenulum, or orthodontic preparation.
Give us a call to chat with one of our friendly team members!