Child Friendly Dentistry

Prince Albert Smiles understands the importance of establishing a good oral hygiene routine early in a child’s life. We provide children and parents with the knowledge and treatment to help maintain their healthy smile. Our pediatric dental care begins with infant’s teaching parents proper methods of oral care, dietary control, and the use of fluoride vitamins to strengthen the developing teeth.

Children Dentist Prince Albert

Dr. Toporowski Explains Tongue or Lip Tie Concerns

Dr. Toporowski on TikTok

A frenum/frenulum is a string of tissue that provides stability to the lips and tongue.

Having a lip frenum and tongue frenum is normal but if the frenum is restrictive or tight, it can cause problems (i.e. “tongue-tie” and/or “lip-tie”)

MOTHER SYMPTOMS:

  • Pain while feeding
  • Mastitis, blocked ducts, thrush
  • Bleeding, blistered, cracked, creased nipples
  • Poor or incomplete breast drainage

INFANT SYMPTOMS:

  • Difficulty latching or staying latched
  • Fussy at breast
  • Colic and reflux symptoms
  • Dried milk on tongue
  • Milk spillage
  • Top lip doesn’t flange around breast
  • Blisters around mouth
  • Inadequate weight gain
  • Short sleeps/frequent feeds
  • Difficulty breathing during nursing
  • Snoring, heavy breathing, congestions

If an oral tie is diagnosed the treatment can be done in office with a laser.

Numbing gel is used to help with discomfort and the procedure takes about 30-60 seconds per tie.

You can feed your baby immediately after the procedure.

Post operative instructions are given and a follow-up visit will be scheduled.

Post-Frenectomy Aftercare

  • Stretches to be done 6x a day for 3 weeks, starting the evening of the procedure. Do 5 stretches during the day and 1 session at night.
  • Try not to go longer than 6 hours between sessions. Some caregivers do these stretches in the middle of a feed to help with discomfort
  • In the 4th week, taper off by removing one session a day. Once you are at 3 sessions a day, you can drop the night session.
  • Sucking exercises can be done before each of the stretches as they are tolerated better. You do not need to do sucking exercises at night.
  • Exercises should be done with a clean or gloved hand. You can use coconut oil on your finger to do the stretches if desired.
  • The wounds will heal with a yellow/white color. This is not an infection and is completely normal.
  • Swelling and a small amount of bleeding is normal for the first 2-3 days.
  • Discomfort is highest during the first 48-72 hours of the procedure. You may give Baby Acetaminophen (Tylenol) for babies under 6 months old, and Baby Ibuprofen (Advil) for babies 6+ month. Always follow the recommendation dose based on weight.
  • Call our office if your baby is having uncontrolled bleeding, refusal to eat, and/or fever greater than 101.5 °F

Follow up:

  • One week after the procedure, email a photo of your child’s tongue wound (you do not need to send a photo of the lip wound). Email photo to: [email protected]
  • To take a photo, have one person lift the tongue as if you were doing the tongue exercises. Have a second person focus on the wound and snap the photo. Use flash if possible, or a well-lit area.
  • If you have any concerns, please call our office at 306-764-4144

If you and your baby experience any of these symptoms, please book in for a consultation to determine an oral tie revision is right for your baby.