A tongue-tie is caused by a lingual frenulum, a membrane found underneath the tongue, ​​that is either too thick or too short. This membrane is the small fold of tissue that extends from the floor of your mouth to the bottom of your tongue. Although common in infants, it often goes undiagnosed.

If you are a mother having a difficult time breastfeeding, your child may have a tongue-tie. If you or your older child are dealing with unexplained neck and back pain, breathing or sleeping issues, these may be signs of an untreated tongue-tie. Untreated, it can cause many other oral problems, such as speech issues, neck and back pain, and temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Dahlgren Dental offers gentle, compassionate solutions for patients of all ages affected by this common, yet treatable, issue.

Tongue-Ties can easily be corrected with a frenectomy. A frenectomy is a quick procedure using a laser to neatly sever the membrane connecting the tongue to the lower palate. The procedure is virtually painless with no recovery and babies can feed immediately afterward with greatly improved results.