Pediatric Airway and Tongue-Tie Treatment in Simpsonville, SC
Nursing that never stopped hurting. A toddler who snores. A five-year-old whose speech is behind and whose pediatrician keeps saying to wait. These are the kinds of concerns that bring families to us, and they deserve a real answer. Not more waiting. A tongue-tie or lip-tie evaluation looks at whether a small band of tissue is getting in the way of how your child feeds, speaks, breathes, or sleeps, and what, if anything, should be done about it.
At Holly Tree Pediatric Dentistry and The TOT Spot, we work as part of a collaborative care team. We perform the frenectomy, a release of the small band of tissue connecting the tongue or lip, once your child has been evaluated and confirmed as therapeutically ready by a trained provider such as a lactation consultant, speech therapist, or myofunctional therapist. When a release is the right next step, we do it right here in our Simpsonville office.
Call us at (864) 297-5585 to schedule an appointment. We're happy to answer your questions and help you figure out the right next step for your child.
What To Expect When You Come In
1. We Listen to Your Concerns
Start by telling us what you have noticed at home, including feeding, sleep, speech, or anything else that has felt off. We also want to know what other providers have said. That full picture helps us understand where your child is in the process and what the right next step looks like.
2. We Connect You With the Right Specialist
A frenectomy works best when it is part of a coordinated care plan. We work closely with lactation consultants, speech therapists, myofunctional therapists, and ENTs across the Upstate. If your child has not yet been evaluated by one of these providers, we will help connect you with the right person. Their job is to confirm that your child is therapeutically ready for a release and to be there for the work that comes after.
3. We Perform the Release
Once your child has been evaluated and cleared by their provider, we perform the frenectomy right here in our Simpsonville office. The procedure is quick, bleeding is minimal, and you are welcome to be present the entire time.
4. We Support the Recovery
Before you leave, we walk you through aftercare stretches and send you home with written instructions. From there, your referring therapist takes the lead on post-op care. They know your child's case and will guide you through what to do and when. That follow-up therapy is not optional; it is a core part of how the release actually works. The procedure opens the door. The therapy is what helps your child walk through it.
What Parents Notice After the Release
A frenectomy is a small procedure, but the tongue is involved in so much more than talking. When the release is done at the right time and followed by consistent aftercare with your therapist, the changes parents notice can be meaningful, and sometimes unexpected.
- Easier, Less Painful Feeding. When a baby's tongue can lift and shape itself around the nipple, they latch deeper and stay there. That means better weight gain for your baby and a lot less pain for you.
- Clearer Speech Sounds. Certain sounds, like "l," "t," "d," and "n," need the tongue tip to reach the roof of the mouth. Once the tongue can actually get there, those sounds get physically easier to make.
- Better Tongue Posture. Here is one most parents do not expect: when the tongue rests naturally against the roof of the mouth, it puts gentle pressure on the upper jaw that helps it develop over time, making nasal breathing easier and chewing less work.
- Calmer Sleep. When air moves more freely through the nose, restless nights often settle down. Snoring and frequent waking can both be connected to how the tongue sits during sleep.
Feeding Struggles, Speech Delays, and Snoring: Could a Tongue-Tie Be the Cause?
Infants and Nursing Babies
If feeding has been hard from the start, a tongue-tie or lip-tie may be part of why. Signs worth paying attention to: a latch that keeps slipping, clicking sounds while nursing, milk leaking from the corner of the mouth, slow weight gain, or nipple pain that doesn't improve even when positioning looks right. If any of those sound familiar, an evaluation is a reasonable next step. If nothing needs to be done, we'll tell you that too.
Toddlers and School-Age Children
For older kids, the signs shift. Speech sounds that are behind, mouth breathing, snoring, or a strong preference for soft foods can all point toward restricted tongue movement. Some kids can't lick an ice cream cone or clear food from their cheeks. Those aren't quirks; they're functional limitations worth looking into. Early crowding in the mouth can be another signal. An evaluation helps sort out what's actually going on so you're not left guessing.
Before You Come In and After You Leave
Before the visit, jot down what you've noticed at home, including feeding struggles, sleep patterns, and speech sounds that seem off, and bring any notes from your pediatrician, lactation consultant, or speech therapist. The more context we have, the more useful the visit will be. For nursing babies, come with a feeding ready to go. Latching right after a release is often one of the first signs that something has shifted.
After the procedure, we send you home with written aftercare instructions and walk you through any stretches before you leave. Your referring therapist will take the lead on post-op care. They know your child's case and will guide you through what to do and when. We stay in the loop with them throughout. If something feels off or you have questions after you're home, call us. We're here.
No Surprises: How Pricing and Coverage Work Here
The cost of a frenectomy is the same regardless of whether we are releasing a tongue-tie, lip-tie, buccal ties, or a combination. We walk through the specifics at the consultation so there are no surprises on the statement.
Coverage for frenectomies can fall under your dental plan, your medical plan, or both. If you have questions about payment options, bring them to the consultation and we will be glad to talk through what works for your family.
Built for Kids. Trusted by Upstate Families.
Dr. Bynum has been a board-certified pediatric dentist since 2001, serves as an examiner for the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and regularly teaches other dentists about tongue ties and airway. She is joined by three pediatric dentists: Dr. Charowski, Dr. Jeffcoat, and Dr. Nashed. You can meet each of them on our doctors page.
Kids Only. Every room, every instrument, and every team member here is set up for children. This is not a general dental office that sees kids on the side.
Parents Stay in the Room. You are welcome to be present for the procedure. We want you comfortable and informed every step of the way.
We're in It for the Long Haul. Our goal is to care for the children and grandchildren of the families we see today. That kind of relationship changes how we approach every visit.
Families across the Upstate trust Holly Tree for tongue and lip tie care. That trust comes from a team that is honest about what your child needs and straightforward when they don't need anything at all.
FAQs About Pediatric Tongue-Tie Care
My Pediatrician Said the Tongue-Tie Isn't Severe Enough to Treat. Should I Still Get It Evaluated?
Yes, especially if symptoms are still present. Appearance alone doesn't tell the full story. A tie that looks minor can still interfere with nursing, speech, or sleep, and one that looks significant may not be causing problems at all. What matters is how your child actually uses their tongue, and that's what we focus on.
How Do I Know if My Baby Has a Tongue-Tie or Lip-Tie?
The most common signs appear at feeding time: a latch that keeps slipping, clicking sounds while nursing, slow weight gain, or nipple pain that doesn't improve with better positioning. A tongue-tie restricts how freely the tongue moves. A lip-tie limits how well the upper lip seals around the nipple. An evaluation is the clearest way to know for sure.
Is My Child's Snoring a Dental Issue or Something Else?
It can be both. Snoring in children is sometimes connected to how the tongue rests, how the palate is shaped, or how the bite is developing. All of those affect airflow during sleep. If we also see signs pointing to tonsils, adenoids, or allergies, we'll tell you and help connect you with the right provider.
How Soon Will We See a Difference?
It depends on what's being treated. Feeding improvements such as a better latch or less nursing pain often show up within the first few days. Changes in speech, sleep, or eating habits take longer, sometimes weeks to months. Doing the aftercare stretches as well as follow up care with your referring therapist make a real difference in how well the results hold.
You Deserve a Real Answer
A lot of parents carry this question for weeks, sometimes months, before they finally make the call. We get it. What brings families to Holly Tree is the trust built over more than a decade of working alongside lactation consultants, speech therapists, and myofunctional therapists across the Upstate. When you come in, you will leave with a clear plan if a release makes sense, a referral to the right provider if something else is going on, or honest reassurance that nothing needs to be done right now. Any of those is a good outcome, because you will actually know.
Call our Simpsonville office at (864) 297-5585 to schedule an appointment. We would love to meet your family.
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