One tiny string can be a serious pest.
If you can answer, “yes” to any of these questions, your child may have a tongue- or lip-tie.
Does your infant
- Struggle to nurse or take a bottle?
- Leak milk from his or her mouth while eating?
- Make clicking or smacking noises when eating?
- Exhibit slow or poor weight gain?
- Display reflux or colic symptoms?
- Experience lots of gas or continually fuss?
Does your older child…
- Sleep restlessly?
- Speak softly (mumble) or struggle to be understood?
- Exhibit slow or picky eating?
- Choke or gag on liquids or foods?
- Have a strong gag reflex?
- Show signs of a speech delay?
- Grind teeth at night, snore, or sleep with his or her mouth open?
We exist to help.
Having a tongue-tie is like running with your shoelaces tied together. It isn’t usually life-threatening, but it can mean unnecessary limitations to your child’s life.
At Alabama Tongue-Tie Center, we believe your child should never be held back by something so completely treatable. In fact, that’s precisely why we exist.
Better is possible.
“Snips” and “clips” don’t always solve the problem for good, so we use an innovative laser technique, right here in our office, that quickly removes the full restriction with absolute precision.
Incredible transformations are within reach.
After the procedure, children often:
Eat
with fewer strugglesBabies nurse and bottle-feed easier and older children eat quicker and feel satisfied longer. Mom’s also report less pain with nursing.
Sleep
with more peace.Infants and children often sleep more soundly as they can breathe through their noses, which can also improve behavior throughout the day.
Speak
with greater confidence.Small children, who are just learning to speak, often form their first words with less difficulty, while older children speak with added clarity.
Meet Dr. Richard Baxter.
Dr. Richard Baxter is a board-certified pediatric dentist and diplomate of the American Board of Laser Surgery. He is an internationally-recognized speaker on tongue-ties, author of the best-selling book, Tongue-Tied: How a Tiny String Under the Tongue Impacts Nursing, Speech, Feeding, and More, and instructor of the acclaimed course Tongue-Tied Academy.
Unbelievably, it wasn’t until after Dr. Baxter’s education in dental school and pediatric residency and his immersion in the dental field that he discovered his own tongue-tie. The fact that he went undiagnosed for so long helped him to recognize that others were living limited lives because of their tongue-ties, too-including his three daughters. Now, he’s on a mission to help parents easily identify issues associated with their children’s mouth restrictions, so that they can get the right treatment sooner. We also help train providers from all over the world so they can help their patients with this common condition.
Meet Dr. Brigitte Trego.
What is a tongue-tie?
Peek inside Dr. Baxter’s best-selling book.
Tongue-Tied: How a Tiny String Under the Tongue Impacts Nursing, Speech, Feeding, and More is an exhaustive and informative guide to this misunderstood affliction. Along with a team of medical specialists, author Dr. Richard Baxter demystifies tongue-ties and spells out how this condition can be treated safely, comfortably, and comprehensively.
These moms were wowed with the results.
“We’re so grateful to have this much improvement in such little time”
Mom was having lots of pain when nursing, the baby wasn’t transferring milk, and they were both getting frustrated. After the release, it was much better. Mom said, “I’m having significantly less pain, and he’s much happier… we’re both in a much better place now.
“I Was Pretty Skeptical About Tongue and Lip Ties!”
“She now says 39 words, and strangers in the grocery store understand her!”
Jennifer L.
As soon as the procedure was done, my son latched on deeply for the first time. Two and a half weeks after the procedure [we] went to the pediatrician for a weight check. The doctor was surprised at his weight gain and they said we should not need a feeding tube any longer!
Naomi D.
I couldn’t be more thankful to them. Not only did they fix my son’s lip-tie, Dr. Baxter fixed his tongue-tie that nobody else had even said anything about. That seriously changed his life. He went from a 2.5 yr old that didn’t talk to the most talkative 2.5 yr old ever!
Emily J.
Dr Baxter corrected our infants tongue-tie. SUCH a better experience than having the correction done [elsewhere] with our previous kids. His techniques are thorough and quick. He called us that evening to check on us and gave us his number so we could contact him if we needed anything.
Families come to us from all over Alabama and beyond
Families travel to our Pelham office from across Alabama, from other states, and from other countries. Dr. Baxter wrote the book Tongue-Tied, and he trains other doctors and providers through Tongue-Tied Academy. The consult, exam, and treatment (if it’s needed) happen in one visit, and the one-week follow-up can be done by email with photos.
If you’d like our opinion before you plan the trip, send us a free pre-screen.
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What Parents Are Saying
Eliminate your child’s tongue-tie once and for all.
People travel from all over the world to our clinic; we offer the consultation and procedure in one visit to accommodate out-of-area patients.
Here’s how it works:
Schedule a Consult
Click “Schedule a Consult” anywhere on this page and follow the directions to book your appointment. No referral is needed. We also offer flexible payment options with Cherry.
Get a Complete Assessment
During your consultation, we’ll listen to your concerns and help you get to the root cause of the issues your child is experiencing.
Expect Noticeable Results
Whether it’s eating, sleeping, or speaking that improves, a tongue- or lip-tie release can make a profound difference in your child’s life.
Trust your gut when something feels “off.”
Help your child fully thrive.
Does your child have a tongue-tie?
Babies and young children aren't able to communicate if a tongue-tie is causing problems with their eating, sleeping, and speech, but they do exhibit symptoms to help a restriction be recognized!
We've designed a simple online questionnaire to help you spot possible signs of a tie in your little one. It takes just a few minutes to complete and the results could change your child's life. Click here for the complete list of common symptoms for infants. If there are more than a few of these present, then a consultation with one of our doctors would be worthwhile.
