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Is your baby tongue tied? We can help

Thu, 15th Dec 2016

Here at Dental Care, we are a general dental practice with a special interest in newborn children's dental development and oral health.

Tongue-Tie affects approximately 4%-10% of newborn babies, 'tongue-tie', is where the tongue is restricted due to an abnormal attachment of the lingual frenulum (the skin that anchors the tongue to the floor of the mouth).

The most immediate consequence for your child is difficulty in the ability to latch and suckle at the breast. If tongue function is restricted, the baby attempts to remove milk with compensatory movements such as biting actions to maintain grip on the nipple. This results in extreme pain for the mother along with nipple damage and minimal milk transfer.

In the future, tongue tie can cause issues with speech and impact your child's dental development. Here at Dental Care Mount Eliza we perform a surgical procedure to release the abnormal attachment of the tongue (frenectomy). It is a simple procedure, typically used for babies under 4 months of age with a feeding improvement rate of up to 95%.

This is done simply and efficiently with a specially designed dental soft tissue laser.

Contact Dental Care Mount Eliza to schedule a tongue-tie procedure with Dr Meetal Shah. To make an appointment please call (03) 9787 4439.

We look forward to assisting you and your child.

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