AOMS Pediatric & Children’s Dentistry · Amarillo, TX · Pediatric Procedures
From newborns struggling to latch to older children navigating speech and dental challenges — tongue and lip ties are more common than most families realize, and more treatable than many expect.
Schedule an Evaluation Call Us: (806) 410-1919
From the very first feeding, so much depends on a baby’s ability to move their tongue and lips freely. When a tongue tie or lip tie is present, even the most fundamental functions — nursing, swallowing, breathing, and eventually speaking — can become a daily struggle for the child and a source of deep frustration and worry for the parents around them.
Tongue and lip ties are not rare. They are among the most commonly underdiagnosed conditions in pediatric dentistry, in part because their effects vary so widely from child to child, and in part because the symptoms they produce — feeding difficulties, speech delays, dental issues — are not always immediately connected to the underlying restriction causing them.
At AOMS Pediatric & Children’s Dentistry, we provide comprehensive tongue and lip tie evaluation and treatment for patients of all ages — from newborns in the earliest days of life through teenagers dealing with the long-term effects of an untreated tie. Our team combines clinical expertise with a genuinely patient and family-centered approach, because we understand that a tongue or lip tie diagnosis can feel overwhelming — especially when your family has already been struggling for some time without a clear answer.
If you suspect your infant, child, or teen may have a tongue or lip tie, we are here to evaluate, explain, and help.
Concerned Your Child May Have a Tongue or Lip Tie?
Early evaluation leads to earlier treatment and better outcomes. Our Amarillo pediatric dental team is here to assess your child and give you clear, honest answers.
Schedule an Evaluation Call Us: (806) 410-1919
What Is a Tongue Tie?
A tongue tie — the medical term is ankyloglossia — occurs when the lingual frenulum, the small band of tissue connecting the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth, is too short, too thick, or too tight. This restriction limits the tongue’s range of motion and can interfere with a wide range of functions that depend on normal, free tongue movement.
Tongue ties vary significantly in their severity and presentation. Some are immediately visible — the tongue is visibly tethered and cannot lift or extend normally. Others are posterior tongue ties that sit further back beneath the tongue and are less obvious on casual inspection but can be equally or even more impactful on function. A posterior tongue tie that goes unrecognized can leave a family searching for answers to feeding, speech, or dental problems for years without identifying the underlying cause.
The severity of a tongue tie is not determined by appearance alone — it is determined by how much the restriction affects function. A tie that looks mild may cause significant functional problems, while a tie that looks more pronounced may cause fewer. Accurate diagnosis requires a thorough functional assessment, not just a visual inspection.
What Is a Lip Tie?
A lip tie occurs when the labial frenulum — the tissue connecting the upper lip to the gum tissue above the upper front teeth — is overly thick, tight, or attached too close to the gum line. This limits how freely the upper lip can move and flange outward, which is essential for effective latching during breastfeeding and for normal lip function throughout development.
Lip ties frequently occur alongside tongue ties and often contribute to many of the same feeding and developmental challenges. In some cases, a lip tie is the primary driver of feeding difficulty. In others, it compounds the effects of a tongue tie that is also present. Evaluating both structures together — as our team does at every assessment — gives the most complete clinical picture.
How Tongue and Lip Ties Affect Infants
For newborns and young infants, tongue and lip ties most commonly present as breastfeeding difficulties — and the impact on both baby and mother can be significant. Feeding problems in the newborn period are stressful under any circumstances. When a tongue or lip tie is the underlying cause, identification and treatment can produce rapid, meaningful improvement.
Common signs of a tongue or lip tie in infants include the following.
Difficulty latching or maintaining a latch during breastfeeding. A tongue-tied infant cannot create the seal and suction necessary for effective nursing. They may latch initially but lose it repeatedly, or be unable to latch at all.
Clicking or smacking sounds during nursing or bottle feeding. These sounds indicate that suction is breaking repeatedly during the feed — a sign that the seal is not being maintained consistently.
Frequently falling off the breast or bottle. Related to the above — if the infant cannot maintain suction, they break the latch and must re-latch repeatedly, making feeding exhausting and inefficient for both mother and baby.
Excessive gas, colic, or reflux symptoms. Infants who cannot maintain a proper seal swallow air with every feed, contributing to significant gas, discomfort, colic-like behavior, and symptoms that may be mistaken for reflux.
Poor weight gain or slow growth. If a tongue or lip tie is limiting the amount of milk an infant can effectively transfer during each feeding, weight gain suffers. This is one of the most clinically urgent consequences of an untreated tie in a newborn.
Fatigue during feedings. Nursing with a tongue or lip tie takes significantly more effort. Infants may fall asleep before completing a feed not because they are satisfied but because they are exhausted from working so hard to feed.
Nipple pain, compression, or damage in nursing mothers. Because the infant cannot cup the tongue effectively under the breast, they compensate by compressing or biting with the gums. This causes significant nipple pain and damage that makes nursing painful and, without treatment, often leads mothers to stop breastfeeding earlier than they intended.
Milk leaking from the corners of the baby’s mouth. Indicates the infant cannot maintain a proper seal, and milk escapes rather than being effectively swallowed.
If you have been struggling with any of these feeding challenges, a tongue or lip tie evaluation is a logical and important next step. Many of these problems have clear, treatable causes — and early identification makes a meaningful difference.
How Tongue and Lip Ties Affect Older Children and Teens
Tongue and lip ties do not always cause obvious problems in infancy. In some children, they go unidentified until a different set of challenges emerges at a later age — speech concerns, dental development questions, orthodontic findings, or eating and hygiene difficulties. In these cases, the tie has often been present and contributing to problems throughout the child’s development, simply without a name attached to it.
Speech Difficulties
The tongue is the primary instrument of speech. It positions, shapes, and directs airflow to produce the full range of speech sounds that make language possible. A tongue restricted by a tie cannot achieve the full range of motion these sounds require.
Children with tongue ties commonly struggle with sounds that require the tongue tip to elevate, extend, or contact the roof of the mouth — sounds like L, R, T, D, N, TH, and S. The result may be speech delays, persistent articulation errors, or limited progress in speech therapy despite consistent effort. In some cases, releasing a tongue tie that was limiting progress in speech therapy produces significantly faster improvement than therapy alone was achieving.
Dental and Orthodontic Concerns
A tight lip tie can create a gap between the upper front teeth — a diastema — and interfere with normal lip seal, which affects how the teeth are supported and positioned over time. Tongue ties affect the resting posture of the tongue — where it sits when the mouth is at rest — which plays a significant role in the development of the dental arches. A tongue that cannot rest against the roof of the mouth contributes to narrow dental arches, open bites, and other structural concerns that make orthodontic treatment more complex.
Identifying and treating a tongue or lip tie at the right time is often an important step in optimizing orthodontic outcomes and reducing the likelihood of relapse after treatment. Learn more about our early dental care approach and how we incorporate tie evaluation into comprehensive developmental assessment.
Airway and Breathing Concerns
The tongue’s correct resting posture — pressed gently against the roof of the mouth with the mouth closed — plays a meaningful role in nasal breathing, facial development, and airway health. A restricted tongue that cannot achieve this posture may contribute to habitual mouth breathing, snoring, and sleep-disordered breathing concerns that affect a child’s quality of rest, concentration, and development.
Difficulty Eating and Managing Food
Children with tongue ties may struggle to manage certain food textures, move food effectively around the mouth, or clear food debris from the teeth and gums after eating. This can affect both nutrition — if the child avoids difficult textures — and oral hygiene, as food that remains around the gum tissue increases the risk of decay.
Oral Hygiene Challenges
A tight lip tie can make it physically difficult to clean the gum tissue near the upper front teeth, allowing plaque to accumulate in an area that is hard to reach with a toothbrush. This increases the risk of early decay in that specific area — a pattern that, when seen clinically, often prompts evaluation of the lip tie itself.
Is Your Child Showing Any of These Signs?
Whether your child is a newborn with feeding difficulties or an older child with speech or dental concerns, our Amarillo team is equipped to evaluate and treat tongue and lip ties at every stage of development.
Request an Appointment Call Us: (806) 410-1919
Diagnosing a Tongue or Lip Tie
An accurate diagnosis requires more than a visual check for the presence of frenulum tissue. It requires a thorough functional assessment — an evaluation of how the restriction is affecting your child’s ability to feed, speak, breathe, and develop. Tissue that looks minimal on inspection can produce significant functional restriction. Tissue that looks more prominent may have less functional impact. What matters clinically is function, not appearance alone.
At AOMS Pediatric & Children’s Dentistry, our evaluation process includes the following.
A comprehensive oral examination assessing the attachment, thickness, and mobility characteristics of both the lingual and labial frenula.
A functional assessment of tongue and lip mobility — how far the tongue can elevate, extend, and move laterally, and how freely the lip can flange and move.
A thorough review of your child’s feeding history, speech development, dental development, sleep patterns, and any symptoms you have been observing at home.
A discussion of your child’s overall health picture, including any airway, breathing, or orthodontic concerns that may be related to the tie.
We take the time to listen carefully to what you have experienced as a parent. Your observations — the feeding struggles, the sounds you have noticed, the patterns you have seen — are a critical part of how we assess your child’s situation accurately. You know your child better than anyone, and that knowledge matters in our evaluation.
Treatment — Laser Frenectomy
The treatment for a tongue or lip tie is a procedure called a frenectomy — the release of the restrictive frenulum tissue. When performed at the appropriate time by an experienced provider, a frenectomy can have a significant and in many cases immediate impact on function.
At AOMS Pediatric & Children’s Dentistry, frenectomies are performed using a soft tissue laser. Laser frenectomy offers meaningful advantages over traditional scissor or scalpel techniques, and it is the approach we have chosen specifically because it produces better outcomes and a more comfortable experience for our patients.
Precision. The laser allows for highly controlled, accurate tissue release with minimal impact on the surrounding structures. The release can be tailored precisely to the anatomy of each patient.
Reduced Bleeding. The laser cauterizes as it works, resulting in significantly less bleeding than traditional cutting methods. This is particularly important in infants and young children.
Reduced Risk of Infection. The laser energy sterilizes the treatment site simultaneously with the release, reducing the risk of post-procedure infection.
Faster Healing. Laser frenectomy sites heal more quickly and with less post-procedure discomfort than traditional incisions in most cases.
Minimal Discomfort During the Procedure. For infants, the procedure is remarkably brief and well-tolerated with topical numbing alone. Older children receive local anesthesia to ensure complete comfort throughout.
The procedure itself takes only a few minutes. For nursing infants, breastfeeding immediately after the procedure is actively encouraged — and improvement in latch and feeding quality is often noticed right away.
After the Frenectomy — What Comes Next
The frenectomy procedure releases the physical restriction, but for many patients — particularly infants and young children — the procedure works best when combined with appropriate follow-up care. The tongue has been operating in a restricted range of motion, in some cases since birth. After release, it needs guidance and practice to establish new movement patterns and use its full range of motion effectively.
Depending on your child’s age, needs, and the nature of their tie, our team may recommend the following after a frenectomy.
Oral motor exercises. Gentle stretching and movement exercises performed at home help keep the release site open during healing and encourage the tongue to begin using its new range of motion. We provide detailed, clear instructions for these exercises and are available to answer questions throughout the healing process.
Lactation consultant support. For nursing mothers and infants following a newborn frenectomy, working with a lactation consultant after the procedure is strongly recommended. A consultant can help re-establish latch technique, address compensatory patterns the infant has developed, and support the breastfeeding relationship through the transition.
Speech therapy. For older children whose tongue tie has contributed to speech difficulties, continuing or beginning speech therapy after the frenectomy supports the development of correct sound production using the newly available tongue movement.
Myofunctional therapy. Myofunctional therapy addresses tongue posture, swallowing patterns, and breathing habits that may have developed as compensatory patterns around the restricted tongue. For older children and teens with significant functional concerns, myofunctional therapy is an important part of achieving the full benefit of the frenectomy.
Our team coordinates with your child’s other care providers — including lactation consultants, speech-language pathologists, and myofunctional therapists — to ensure comprehensive, connected care from evaluation through recovery.
Expert Tongue and Lip Tie Care in Amarillo, TX
AOMS Pediatric & Children’s Dentistry provides laser frenectomy and comprehensive follow-up care for infants, children, and teens throughout the Amarillo area. Our team is here for every step of the process.
Schedule Your Child’s Evaluation Learn About Our Practice Call Us: (806) 410-1919
Tongue and Lip Ties and Your Child’s Dental Development
Because tongue and lip ties affect the resting posture of the tongue and lips — forces that shape the dental arches throughout childhood — they have a direct relationship with dental development and orthodontic health that goes beyond feeding and speech.
The tongue, when resting in its correct position against the roof of the mouth, applies gentle outward pressure that supports the width of the upper arch as it develops. A tongue that cannot achieve this position — because it is tethered too tightly to the floor of the mouth — fails to provide that developmental support. The result over time can be a narrow upper arch, a high palate, and the crowding and bite problems that frequently follow.
A lip tie that prevents normal lip seal and posture similarly affects how forces act on the front teeth during development and at rest, contributing to spacing, protrusion, and bite concerns.
Identifying and addressing a tongue or lip tie at the right stage of development — before it has had years to influence arch form and tooth position — produces better dental outcomes and can simplify or reduce the scope of orthodontic treatment that would otherwise be needed. Learn more about our approach to early dental care and developmental monitoring. Our team evaluates the relationship between frenulum restrictions and dental development at every relevant stage and integrates tie treatment with our broader approach to your child’s oral health.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tongue and Lip Tie Treatment
At what age can a frenectomy be performed?
A frenectomy can be performed at virtually any age — from newborns in the first days of life through teenagers and adults. The right time to treat depends on your child’s specific symptoms, the degree of functional restriction, and what goals are most important for their current stage of development. For newborns with feeding difficulties, earlier treatment generally produces faster and more complete improvement. For older children, the timing is coordinated with speech therapy, orthodontic treatment, or other care as appropriate.
How do I know if my newborn has a tongue or lip tie?
The most common signs in newborns are feeding difficulties — trouble latching, clicking sounds during nursing, falling off the breast repeatedly, poor weight gain, excessive gas, and nipple pain or damage in nursing mothers. If breastfeeding has been difficult despite working with a lactation consultant and addressing positioning and latch technique, a tongue or lip tie evaluation is a logical next step. Not every feeding difficulty is caused by a tie, but when one is present and untreated, feeding problems often persist regardless of other interventions.
Will my child be in pain during the procedure?
Infants tolerate the laser frenectomy procedure very well with topical numbing — the procedure is brief and the laser technique minimizes discomfort. Older children receive local anesthesia to ensure they are completely comfortable throughout. Post-procedure soreness is normal and is typically managed well with over-the-counter pain relievers and soft foods for a day or two. Most children recover quickly and comfortably.
How soon will we see improvement after a frenectomy?
For nursing infants, improvement in latch and feeding quality is often noticed immediately or within the first few feeds following the procedure. For older children with speech or functional concerns, improvement typically develops more gradually as the tongue learns to use its new range of motion — particularly with the support of exercises and therapy. The full benefit of the release may take weeks to months to be fully realized in older children.
My child has been in speech therapy but isn't making progress — could a tongue tie be the reason?
Possibly, yes. An unaddressed tongue tie can limit the physical range of motion available to produce certain sounds, creating a ceiling on how much speech therapy alone can achieve. In some cases, releasing the tongue tie and then continuing — or restarting — speech therapy produces significantly faster progress than therapy alone was generating. If your child has been working hard in speech therapy without expected improvement, a tongue tie evaluation is worth pursuing.
Does a frenectomy need to be repeated?
In some cases, reattachment of the frenulum tissue can occur during healing if post-procedure stretching exercises are not performed consistently. This is one of the primary reasons we emphasize the importance of oral motor exercises after the procedure and provide clear instructions for them. When exercises are performed as directed, reattachment is uncommon. If reattachment does occur and is causing ongoing restriction, a second release may be recommended.
Will a lip tie cause a permanent gap between my child's front teeth?
A tight lip tie can contribute to a gap between the upper front teeth — called a diastema — by preventing normal lip posture and by the physical attachment of the frenulum tissue between the teeth. Whether a diastema closes after a lip tie release depends on the child’s age, the degree of the gap, and other developmental factors. In younger children, closure is more likely as the teeth and bone continue to develop. In older children and teens, orthodontic treatment may be needed to close the gap after the tie is released.
Does insurance cover tongue and lip tie treatment?
Coverage varies depending on the insurance plan and the specific diagnosis. Some plans cover frenectomy as a medically or dentally necessary procedure. Our team is happy to help you understand your benefits and explore your options before treatment begins. We want financial considerations to be as clear as possible so they do not stand in the way of care your child needs.
How is AOMS different from other practices for tongue and lip tie treatment?
At AOMS Pediatric & Children’s Dentistry, tongue and lip tie evaluation and treatment is integrated with our comprehensive approach to pediatric dental health. We evaluate ties in the context of your child’s full developmental picture — feeding history, speech development, dental development, airway, and orthodontic concerns — rather than as an isolated finding. Our use of laser frenectomy provides a more precise, comfortable, and faster-healing procedure than traditional methods, and our coordination with outside providers ensures your child receives connected care throughout the treatment and recovery process.
Your Child Deserves Answers — and We Are Here to Provide Them
Navigating a tongue or lip tie diagnosis can feel confusing and isolating, especially when you have been watching your child struggle — with feeding, with speech, with challenges that have not had a clear explanation — and wondering what is causing it. You are not alone in that experience, and the answers you have been looking for may be closer than you think.
A thorough evaluation is the first step. It costs nothing to come in, ask every question you have, and get a clear clinical picture of what is — or is not — contributing to your child’s challenges. Our team at AOMS Pediatric & Children’s Dentistry approaches every family with patience, honesty, and the time needed to make sure you leave with the information and confidence to make the best decision for your child.
If you are ready to schedule — or if you simply want to speak with our team before committing to an appointment — we are here. Learn more about early dental care and how we approach your child’s dental development from the very beginning. We look forward to meeting your family.
Schedule Your Child's Tongue and Lip Tie Evaluation in Amarillo
AOMS Pediatric & Children’s Dentistry provides expert evaluation and laser frenectomy treatment for infants, children, and teens throughout Amarillo and the surrounding area. Let’s get your child the answers and care they deserve.
Schedule an Evaluation About Our Practice Call Us: (806) 410-1919