Frequently Asked Lip & Tongue-Tie Questions – Arlington Heights, IL

Ask Your Lip & Tongue-Tie Expert

As you can imagine, by the time a parent comes to see us, they have a lot of questions for our team. Fortunately, we’re more than ready to answer them and offer any information they need to feel reassured and confident about their child’s treatment options. Below, we’ve gone ahead and answered some of the most popular questions we receive. Be sure to reach out to us if you want to know more about something we haven’t covered here.

Is my child’s lip or tongue-tie my fault?

No. Right now, the reason a child develops a lip or tongue-tie is not known, though research currently suggests that it is congenital (a child is born with it) and might be hereditary.. At the moment, there is nothing that shows that a parent can directly cause one to develop or actively prevent it.

Will a lip or tongue-tie go away on its own?

While a child can grow out of many things, a lip or tongue-tie is not one of them. Over time, the restricted oral function will cause a multitude of issues with chewing, speaking, and breathing. The only way to solve this problem is with professional treatment, ideally at an early age.

Will switching to bottle feeding help if my child has a lip or tongue-tie?

If a child has a lip or tongue-tie, switching to bottle feeding may be more comfortable for the mother and child. However,the problem and associated symptoms will persist, because the baby will still have difficulties latching and creating a steady flow of milk or formula. The only way to fix the issue is to treat it directly.

Do you just treat babies, or can you help children, teens, and adults?

While most of our patients are infants, lip and tongue-ties can sometimes be missed during the early years, causing someone to still have the conditions well into their teen or adult years. Thankfully, a laser frenectomy works just as well on older patients as it does babies, meaning this solution is available to absolutely everyone who needs it.

How long does it take to recover from a frenectomy?

The recovery period is different for every patient, but typically, after taking a few days to rest, the patient’s mouth will feel relatively normal. Initially, they will need to routinely stretch the oral tissues to help them heal correctly, and then it may take a few weeks for a patient to relearn how to use their lips and tongue now they are able to move freely.

Can I use my dental insurance to cover a frenectomy?

Maybe. What a plan says it will cover, what the provider says it will cover, and what actually ends up being covered can often turn out to be three different things. We recommend going over both your medical and dental policies with your provider to clarify your coverage. If you are entitled to benefits, our team can help you file the claim to make the process nice and simple.