You may have heard about lip tie surgery and wonder what it is. Especially if you’re a new parent experiencing issues with breastfeeding, surgery has become a more common topic in recent years.
What is a lip tie?
A lip tie is a condition where the skin of the upper lip attaches to the gums in a way that makes lip movement difficult. Breastfeeding can be especially tough if an infant has a lip tie as the child will likely have difficulty latching. While the condition can make breastfeeding hard, which often leads to poor nutrition, lip ties can also lead to poor dental health and tooth decay in children.
Is there a surgery that can help?
Lip-tie surgery, also called a frenectomy, is a simple procedure that we can complete here in our dental office. While it is considered a surgical procedure, it only takes a few minutes to fix a lip tie. We keep your child comfortable in a chair and numb the area to reduce any pain. The dentist uses a small laser to cut the piece of skin that connects the lip to the gums, the frenum. Your baby would be able to breastfeed as soon as the lip-tie procedure is complete, and some infants see an immediate improvement after the surgery is finished.
More questions about lip tie surgery?
If you have more questions about frenectomies, we’re happy to walk you through the process. Any procedure can be intimidating, especially when it involves your child. We’ve performed plenty of lip tie surgeries here at Schumacher & Bauer, and we’re always happy to answer any questions.
If you’d like to learn more about whether a lip tie surgery might be a good fit for your child, please reach out to the Schumacher & Bauer team. We’d be happy to answer your questions!