LightScalpel

What is LightScalpel?

LightScalpel CO2 laser is a device that emits highly focused CO2 laser beams that vaporizes, sterilizes, and seals the blood vessels at the same time. Traditional surgery using scalpel or scissors can bruise or scar the tissue. LightScalpel only uses intense beams of laser light to interact with the tissue which means there is no mechanical trauma and the coagulation zone is very narrow.

We use LightScalpel in our practice to help our young patients experience a safe and shorter procedure with less discomfort, swelling, or bleeding, in such procedures as:

  • Tongue tie correction
  • Lip tie correction

 

 

Benefits of LightScalpel Surgery

See some of the advantages of laser surgery.

Using LightScalpel for Frenectomy

Nursing plays a crucial role in early oral development and unfortunately, around 10% of newborns have tongue tie or lip tie, which hinder their ability to nurse. The infant's tongue or lips are attached - or tied - to the mouth with excessive tissue webbing, which impedes their movement. Laser dentistry has become the treatment method of choice for correcting restricted tongue movements in infants because it offers a precise and minimally invasive treatment that is much shorter and less painful than any other.

Using LightScalpel, Dr. Nam can release a tie in a lip or tongue frenulum procedure that takes less than a minute. In most cases, only a topical numbing anesthetic is needed prevent any discomfort. This treatment repairs these issues with little to no bleeding and minimal discomfort following treatment. Your infant will be able to breastfeed immediately after the tie has been released.

 

About Dr. Nam’s Personal and Professional Experience with Frenectomy

Dr. Nam has been practicing Pediatric Dentistry since 2014 and took a specialized interest in treating infants with Tethered Oral Tissues, or Lip/ Tongue ties since 2016. She is laser certified by the Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD) and is a member of the International Affiliation of Tongue Tie Professionals (IATP).

“I know first hand how difficult those first few weeks of life can be when both mom and baby are trying to figure out how breastfeeding works. After going through the struggles of breastfeeding with my two boys, I learned that they both had tongue ties, and discovered how much it can impact the latch and experience of nursing. After releasing their ties, there was a dramatic difference in efficiency of nursing. The latch was much stronger, there was no more pain, no more drooling of milk and a happier baby. I was able to successfully nurse both my boys for over a year. “

We use the state-of the art LightScalpel CO2 soft tissue laser for our releases. This “cold laser” has many benefits over a diode laser or a scissor “snip”, including:

  • Quicker treatment time of around 15- 30 seconds
  • Less postoperative discomfort
  • Faster healing time
  • Less scarring
  • Less bleeding
  • Less swelling

 

Hardy Orthodontics: Committed to Caring

Dr. Nam is committed to educating and helping other moms who may be having trouble with breastfeeding. We work with local International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC’s), Myofunctional Therapists and OT’s for the support that is needed in this multidisciplinary approach to treatment. Contact us to learn more.