New Patients
Welcome!
At the Alabama Tongue-Tie Center, we care for families like they’re our own. We are committed to providing a compassion-filled experience as we help you and your family achieve your breastfeeding, eating, speech, and sleep goals.
We always start with a thorough evaluation and a proper diagnosis before discussing any treatment options.
Even if you’re unsure whether your child has a tongue-tie, it’s worth scheduling a consultation to rule it out, as it’s often overlooked by healthcare providers. See the list of common symptoms if you suspect a tongue- or lip-tie.
No surprises. No worries.
You don't need a referral.
Unlimited follow-up visits.
Pay just once.
Pay upfront for the consult and procedure fee and we will provide a medical claim form to submit for reimbursement. Payment plans available with Cherry (apply here – most people qualify).
One year, 100% guarantee.
Fees & Insurance
We want you to know the cost before you make the drive, so here it is.
Consultation:
$175
Release of each treated area (tongue, lip, or cheek):
$500
Follow-up exams:
No charge
We charge for a maximum of two areas.
What’s included
A consult with Dr. Baxter or Dr. Trego: your child's history and your feeding, sleep, and comfort concerns
An exam for lip, tongue, and cheek (buccal) restrictions, with photos from a small camera
Our recommendation of the most appropriate care, never more and never less
Treatment at the same visit, if it's needed
Follow-up exams at no charge
No charge for cheek (buccal) ties done along with a lip and tongue release (about 10% of babies)
No charge for a revision within 12 months (fewer than 1% of cases)
A detailed claim form you can send to your health insurance
What a visit usually costs
Tongue and lip: $1,175
$175 consult + $500 tongue + $500 lip. If cheek ties are released at the same visit, there’s no extra charge.
Tongue only: $675
$175 consult + $500 tongue.
If we don’t think a release will help, we’ll tell you, and the consult is the only charge.
Insurance
We’re out-of-network with insurance, so visits are self-pay and payment is due at the visit. We’ll give you a detailed claim form to send to your health insurance for possible reimbursement. Every plan is different, so we can’t promise what yours will pay back, and filing the claim is up to you.
Ways to pay
- Cash
- Debit card
- Credit card (a 3% surcharge applies)
- Cherry or CareCredit payment plans. Please apply before your visit so it’s ready when you arrive. Apply with Cherry
A $50 deposit holds your consult time and goes toward the $175 consult fee. It’s non-refundable if you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice or miss the appointment.
Important for babies under 6 months: vitamin K
Per AAP guidelines, babies under 6 months must have received the vitamin K shot (not oral drops) at least 12 hours before the procedure. If your baby had oral drops or didn’t get vitamin K, please call us before your visit so we can plan.
Questions about cost?
Call us at 205-419-4333 and we’ll walk you through it, or send us a message and we’ll get back to you.
Live far away, or not sure you need a visit? Start with a free pre-screen.
Email us a few photos and a short symptom sheet, and our team will let you know whether a visit makes sense.
A solution for your child starts here.
1. Schedule a Consult
2. 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. If a release is needed, we can do it the same day.
3. Expect Noticeable Results
You may still be wondering…
How do you evaluate for tongue-ties?
We utilize a questionnaire to identify all symptoms that could be related to a tongue-tie. We then interview the parent to document the child’s history and discuss any functional issues. After compiling this information, we perform a full evaluation of the child to determine the degree of restriction. If a restriction does exist, we take photos inside the mouth with our special camera to make sure we can visualize the unique structure of the tongue- or lip-tie before developing a plan for treatment.
Is the visit or procedure covered by insurance?
This is an important concern for all of our families. What we find is that many dental insurance companies will deny the procedure, classifying it as a congenital medical condition. However, many medical/health insurance plans cover both the exam and procedure, and we will provide you with a health insurance claim form that you can submit to request reimbursement. Filing the claim is the responsibility of the patient and is not a guarantee that insurance plans will cover the procedure. Patients will pay out of pocket before treatment is completed and will be informed of any charges before they are due. We are considered out of network with health insurance companies since we do not have any contracts with them. Please feel free to ask our team if you have any questions and for the current investment for this procedure and consultation.
How will I pay for our visit?
Our payment options include cash, credit card, CareCredit, and Cherry Finance, which offers no-interest financing for anywhere from 6 weeks to 12 months. You can apply with Cherry, and most people qualify. In many cases, other family members, such as grandparents, offer to help with some of the investment. Payment in full is due at the time the exam or procedure is performed. The procedure is an investment in your child’s current and future health, as we see issues with breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, eating solids, speaking, and sleeping resolve after the procedure. If the child needs any buccal cheek ties released, we do not charge an additional fee for these. We also do not charge for any follow-up visits or if the procedures need to be repeated for any reason in the first year. We will provide you with a health insurance form to submit to your carrier to request reimbursement, but this is not a guarantee, as every health plan is different, and we are considered out of network with all health plans. We charge a $50 deposit for all consultations that will be applied toward the $175 consultation fee. This deposit is non-refundable if the appointment is canceled with less than 24 hours notice or if the patient does not show up for the appointment.
One provider says my child does have a tongue-tie but another says she doesn’t. What should I do?
Tongue-ties and lip-ties can be tricky to diagnose properly, and training in this area is lacking among healthcare professionals. The subject is not covered in dental or medical schools, or even in residency programs. A provider must seek out additional training and continuing education to be up on the latest trends and diagnostic factors. Dr. Baxter and Dr. Trego attend several tongue-tie-related conferences every year to stay up-to-date on the latest tongue-tie information. We are happy to evaluate your child and, if there is a restriction, give you our recommendation for treatment. Often times, parents will sense that something is not right, even after another provider has told them there is no restriction. They come to us for a second opinion and we evaluate the child, identify the restriction, and provide treatment. After the child receives the care they need, the issue resolves. Unfortunately, this scenario happens weekly in our office, so Drs. Baxter and Trego are working on several projects to help educate not only providers but also parents.
Do you treat adults?
We often have parents who realize that they have a tongue-tie after their child receives treatment. Because we are pediatric specialists, we limit our services to those children aged birth (as early as one day old) through age 18. If you would like an adult provider, search for Breathe Affiliates or a myofunctional therapist who can help you get started on this journey.
We’d be happy to help!
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.
