Frenectomies for kids in South Austin, TX

Frenectomies For Kids

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Restore Their Oral Range Of Motion

Does your child suffer from restricted tongue or lip mobility due to overly tight frenulum tissue? This condition can contribute to feeding, speech and orthodontic issues if not addressed. Fortunately, Kids Tooth Team offers quick laser frenectomy procedures to cleanly release the tongue or lips back to their full range of motion. Contact our South Austin pediatric dental office to see how treatment can help your child thrive free from limitations.

What Is A Frenectomy?

A frenectomy is a simple, minimally-invasive procedure that releases tongue ties or lip ties. These issues arise when the tissue (frenulum) connecting the tongue or lips to the gums overly restricts movement. Children may experience feeding, speech or orthodontic problems without treatment. During a frenectomy, Dr. Alexandra Otto clips the tight frenulum at our South Austin office to restore normal range of motion. This quick treatment can provide great relief to children and and concerned parents.

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How Are Frenectomies Performed?

The process begins with Dr. Alex cleaning and sanitizing the mouth. While we offer numbing and sedation options, our laser technology is minimally invasive so discomfort is rare.

Next, a small handheld laser gently snips the frenulum tissue tying down the tongue or lip. Only a tiny amount gets removed to release restricted movement. The entire appointment takes just minutes, and since laser procedures are precise and cauterizing, stitches are not required.

Afterwards, Dr. Otto explains at-home care instructions to help ensure proper healing. These include exercises, like stretches to prevent reattachment. The straightforward approach brings rapid relief to your baby or child.

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frenectomy for kids

Free Second Opinions

Have you been told that your child needs a frenectomy? Not sure if that's really the case? We offer free second opinions at Kids Tooth Team . Dr. Alex has years of experience with frenectomies.

She can examine your child's mouth and determine whether or not a frenectomy is truly necessary. As a conservative pediatric dentist, Dr. Alex will only recommend surgery if she truly believes that it is necessary to protect your child's oral health.

Keeping Your Kiddos Comfortable With Laser Dentistry

We utilize child-friendly NVPro3 dental laser technology to ensure comfortable, minimally invasive frenectomies. Unlike bulky surgical lasers, this soft tissue laser is pen-sized, quiet and handheld, which ease little patient fears.

Precision laser energy seals nerve endings and blood vessels upon contact, enabling numb-free procedures with virtually no bleeding or pain. Kids also heal faster compared to traditional methods. By integrating the most advanced technology in a kid-friendly, approachable way, we provide the safest, most comforting care experience possible.

a tooth with a dental crownKids Frenectomies
Frenectomy for kids

Other Ways We Use Laser Dentistry At Our Office

The NVPro3 soft tissue laser can be used for more than just frenectomies! Dr. Alex applies this advanced dental technology to a variety of other treatments:

  • Cosmetic Gum Recontouring – Over time or after orthodontic treatment, gum tissue can become uneven, with excess gum overlapping teeth. Traditional gum reshaping uses uncomfortable tools and can cause irritation that slows healing. Our advanced dental laser enables Dr. Alex to precisely recontour gum lines faster and more smoothly. The laser energy simultaneously reshapes and seals as it touches gum tissue, minimizing bleeding, pain and recovery time. Kids enjoy beautifully balanced smiles with little disruption.
  • Operculum Removal – Operculums form as painful, swollen flaps of gum tissue that trap food against emerging molars, leading to infections and tooth decay if ignored. Using our laser, Dr. Alex delicately excises these overgrowths in minutes. The extreme precision avoids disturbing healthy adjacent gum tissue or developing tooth buds. Our laser also disinfects and coagulates in the same step for unparalleled convenience compared to traditional tissue removal methods requiring stitches. Kids find relief with little down-time.
  • Tissue Biopsies – In rare cases of questionable lesions or growths, samples may get analyzed. Surgical biopsies cut tissue using scalpels. Our advanced laser cleanly takes biopsies without pain or blood. The pinpoint accuracy protects surrounding healthy tissue while obtaining the samples needed for laboratory assessments.
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Have Questions About Frenectomies? Get Answers Here.

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What Is The Recovery Process After A Frenectomy?

Since our laser technology is minimally invasive, frenectomies rarely cause bleeding or require sutures. Mild soreness sometimes occurs, but quickly fades with children's pain relievers if needed at all. The most important recovery technique is doing prescribed stretching exercises several times a day. These motions extend the tongue or lips to their new range post-procedure while preventing frenulum reattachment during initial healing. Dr. Alex provides families detailed instructions for properly conducting these simple motions. Following her exercise plan ensures optimal outcomes from the procedure so kids gain full mobility benefits from their frenectomy.

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Are Frenectomies Covered By Insurance?

Frenectomy coverage depends on individual policies - both medical and dental plans may apply. We recommend families contact carriers to verify available benefits beforehand. Kids Tooth Team also aims to provide affordable access to care through payment plans from CareCredit that allow easy monthly installments. By exploring all options upfront, we'll find the best way to make your child's treatment feasible.

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Will My Child Feel Any Pain During Treatment?

Our laser frenectomies are entirely painless, eliminating common fears over discomfort or needles. The precise technology requires no numbing in most cases due to instant cauterization of tissue upon contact. However, we happily provide numbing or deeper sedation for any patients expressing nervousness or at parental request to further ease tensions.

Kids Tooth Team focuses wholly on maintaining a comfortable, anxiety-free environment for little ones under our care. Please discuss any preferences or concerns transparently so we can customize an approach ensuring your child feels no distress throughout the procedure.

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How Do Soft Tissue Lasers Work?

Soft tissue lasers utilize a powerful beam of light focused through a tiny fiber-optic tip, concentrating extreme heat energy. When this hot tip contacts oral soft tissues, it instantly vaporizes a tiny path through the area while simultaneously sealing blood vessels and nerves. This dual action eliminates bleeding and discomfort generally associated with invasive procedures. Kids heal cleanly and quickly without damage to other tissue or very much discomfort thanks to our cutting-edge therapeutic laser technology.

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Is Your Little One Due for a Checkup?

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