Tongue-Tie Care for Mobile and Baldwin County Families

Why Gulf Coast families make the trip

A four-and-a-half-hour drive is a lot to ask of a family with a new baby, so it’s fair to wonder why anyone would do it. Families come to us from across Alabama, from other states, and from overseas. Dr. Baxter wrote the book Tongue-Tied, and he trains other doctors and providers through Tongue-Tied Academy. Both of our doctors, Dr. Baxter and Dr. Trego, are pediatric dentists whose practice centers on tongue and lip ties.

This is a specialized area, and a lot depends on the evaluation. A tie can be missed, or called “mild,” and still make nursing, bottle feeding, speech, or sleep harder than it should be. What matters is how the tongue and lip move and function, not only what they look like.

To make a long trip worthwhile, everything happens in one visit: consult, exam, and treatment if your child needs it. At one week, you can email us photos instead of driving back. Start with a free pre-screen so you know what we think before you leave home.

Is the drive from Mobile worth it?

• The drive: about 4.5 hours (about 240 miles) to 2480 Pelham Pkwy, Pelham, AL 35124.
• One visit: consult, exam, and treatment if it’s needed, all the same day.
• Follow-up made easier: families traveling a long distance can do the one-week follow-up by email. Send us photos of the treated areas and we’ll review them and advise you.

Because the drive is long, we strongly suggest starting with our free pre-screen. Send photos of your child’s tongue and lip and the symptom sheet, and we’ll tell you honestly whether we think a visit makes sense. We’d rather save you nine hours in the car than have you make a trip you didn’t need.

How a same-day visit works

• Call or send a message. Call 205-419-4333 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or use our contact page to schedule. You don’t need a referral.
• Not sure it’s worth the drive? Start with a free pre-screen. Email us photos of your child’s tongue and lip and our symptom sheet, and we’ll tell you whether a visit makes sense.
• The consult. You’ll meet with Dr. Baxter or Dr. Trego. We go over your child’s history and your feeding, sleep, and comfort concerns, and we typically spend 30 minutes or more just talking with you.
• The exam. We check the lip, tongue, and cheeks for restrictions and look at how the tongue moves. If we find a restriction, we take photos with a small camera so you can see it too. Then we recommend the most appropriate care, never more and never less.
• Treatment at the same visit, if it’s needed. If a release will help, we can usually do it the same day, so you only make one trip. It takes about 10 to 15 seconds per area, with no sedation or general anesthesia, just numbing jelly or sugar water.
• Before you head home. Babies can nurse right afterward, and a weighted feed is available. Older kids get a popsicle and can go play on our playground.

Want more detail? See how the procedure works.

Planning the drive from Mobile

• The trip is almost entirely I-65 North. Our office is on Pelham Parkway, a few minutes off the interstate.
• Some families prefer to drive up the evening before and stay nearby so the baby isn’t in the car seat all day. There are hotels in the Pelham and Hoover area.
• If you do it in one day, ask for an appointment time that leaves room for feeding stops on the way up and the way back.

Our hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

What to bring

• The completed symptom sheet (for babies, our infant symptom sheet (PDF)) or your quiz results
• For babies under 6 months: the vitamin K shot (not oral drops) must have been given at least 12 hours before the procedure. Bring the record if you have it, and call us first if your baby had drops
• A list of any medicines your child takes
• Names of your pediatrician and lactation consultant or therapist, if you have them
• Your health insurance information, so you can file the claim form we give you
• Your payment method, or your Cherry or CareCredit approval (apply before your visit)
• For babies: extra diapers, a change of clothes, and your bottle or pump if you use one
• For older kids: a favorite comfort item and a snack for the drive home

After you go home

• Improvement isn’t always instant. Your child’s tongue has to learn a new way of moving, and there may even be a little regression in sucking for a day or two. That’s normal.
• Before you leave, we’ll go over aftercare and the exercises we recommend. Our aftercare videos are also on our website if you want a refresher at home.
• We follow up one week after the procedure. Families traveling a long distance can do the one-week follow-up by email: send us a photo of the treated areas and of the tongue or lip, and we’ll review it and let you know how things look. No need to make the drive again.
• Follow-up exams are at no charge, and if a restriction grows back within 12 months, we fix it at no charge.
• Ongoing support close to home can help, and we can help you find local lactation and feeding support.
• Questions after you get home? Call us at 205-419-4333. If you’re ever worried about your baby’s weight, feeding, or wet diapers, call your pediatrician right away.

What it costs

Consult $175. Release of each treated area (tongue, lip, or cheek) $500, and we charge for a maximum of two areas. A tongue and lip visit totals $1,175, and tongue only is $675. Follow-up exams are at no charge. We’re out-of-network and self-pay, and we give you a detailed claim form to send to your insurance for possible reimbursement. 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. See fees and what’s included.

Questions from Mobile families

Ready when you are

Call us at 205-419-4333 or send us a message to schedule. If you’d like an opinion before you make the drive from Mobile, start with a free pre-screen.