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When your baby struggles to latch during feeding, or your toddler’s speech sounds unclear in ways that don’t resolve with time, the answer may be written right under their tongue. A tongue tie, also called ankyloglossia, is a condition where the frenulum — that small band of tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth — is too short or tight, limiting normal tongue movement. It can affect feeding, speech development, oral function, and even sleep, and it often goes unaddressed longer than it should.
Families throughout Lake Oswego and the surrounding communities now have access to child-centered tongue tie care at Pine Tree Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Tesha Waggoner, affectionately known as Dr. T, completed her pediatric specialty training at OHSU in 2018 and has years of experience evaluating and treating tongue ties in infants, toddlers, and school-age children. As part of the Lake Oswego pediatric dental care we provide at our practice, tongue-tie assessment and treatment are delivered with the same warmth and attention to detail that have made us a trusted name in pediatric dentistry throughout the Portland metro area.
A tongue tie occurs when the lingual frenulum is unusually short, thick, or tightly anchored, restricting how far and how freely the tongue can move. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s policy on frenulum management, a restrictive oral frenulum may affect a child’s health by interfering with breastfeeding or speech. The condition exists on a spectrum, ranging from mild restriction with minimal functional impact to more significant restriction that affects daily life.
Tongue tie is more common than many parents realize, and it can present differently at each stage of a child’s development. Early identification gives families the best opportunity to address the issue before it creates downstream challenges with speech, feeding, or oral health.
Tongue tie can look very different depending on a child’s age. In infants, the signs often center on feeding difficulties. In older children, the concerns tend to shift toward speech, oral hygiene, and function.
Here are some of the signs we commonly see across different age groups:
If you’ve noticed any of these patterns in your child, an evaluation can help clarify whether tongue tie is a contributing factor. Many families come to us after a referral from a lactation consultant, speech-language pathologist, or myofunctional therapist who identified a potential restriction.
Not every tongue tie requires treatment, and we never recommend intervention unless it is clearly in your child’s best interest. Our evaluation process looks at both the anatomy of the frenulum and the function of the tongue — what the tongue can do, not just what it looks like. This functional approach helps us avoid over-treatment while making sure we do not miss cases where a restriction is genuinely affecting a child’s quality of life.
We use a CO2 laser to release the tongue or lip frenulum, which offers strong cauterization and minimal post-op sensitivity. This approach is quick and effective, and most children experience only mild discomfort afterward. During the frenectomy, we use local anesthesia to ensure your child’s comfort throughout the procedure.
For children who may need additional support, our Portland practice offers sedation options, and we maintain privileges at Providence St. Vincent Hospital for frenectomy cases requiring general anesthesia. The tissue release itself takes only a few minutes, and most children recover quickly with minimal discomfort.
We understand that some children may feel anxious about dental procedures, and we’ve designed our Portland pediatric dental practice to address these concerns during frenectomy treatment.
Our office is designed to accommodate children of all abilities, offering helpful tools such as weighted blankets and low lighting to create a calming environment during frenectomy appointments. Children can even watch a movie during their frenectomy treatment to help them feel more relaxed.
Our in-office dog, Meyers, is great with children of all abilities and often helps put young patients at ease before frenectomy procedures. During treatment appointments, we encourage parents to be silent observers or helpers, allowing our trained Portland pediatric dental team to guide your child through the frenectomy process using proven techniques designed for pediatric patients.
Lake Oswego families have limited local options for pediatric-specific tongue-tie care, and we are proud to fill that gap with a practice built around children and the families who care for them. Dr. Tesha Waggoner is a member of the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, the Oregon Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and the Washington County Dental Society. She holds hospital privileges at Providence St. Vincent, which means she has access to a full continuum of care for the children she treats.
Our practice is designed from the ground up to meet children where they are. We take a whole-child perspective at every appointment, whether your child is here for a tongue tie evaluation, a first dental visit, or a follow-up after treatment. Our goal is always the same: to make sure they leave feeling safe, cared for, and ready to come back.
If you are a Lake Oswego parent wondering whether your child’s feeding challenges, speech delays, or oral function concerns could be related to a tongue tie, we are here to help. Pine Tree Pediatric Dentistry serves families throughout Lake Oswego and the greater Portland area with compassionate, evidence-based pediatric dental care designed for children from infancy through adolescence.
To get started, we invite you to contact our office to schedule a tongue-tie evaluation with Dr. T. Our team will take the time to listen to your concerns, assess your child’s frenulum and tongue function, and walk you through all options so you can make the most informed decision for your family.
15962 Boones Ferry Rd, Suite 208
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
We’re so excited to share that Dr. Tesha and the Pine Tree Pediatric Dentistry team are opening a second location this July! We’re bringing the same warm, kid-friendly care families know and love — now closer to Lake Oswego. Stay tuned for more details!
