Can Your Dentist Save Your Breastfeeding Relationship With Your Child?

One of the reasons I enjoy spending time peeling back the layers of my story for you is so we can build a GENUINE connection. It is also important for you to understand the reasoning behind my practice and why I am so passionate about treating my patients. So, when I ask you if your newborn is having difficulty nursing, or if your toddler is having issues chewing her food, or suffering with reflux, you may wonder how that relates to dentistry and oral health. I’m so happy you asked…!

Years ago as a new mother, my baby had great difficulty nursing and was very colicky. Even after changing pediatricians several times, no one could find anything wrong with my son and my frustration grew. By the time my son was 6 years old, I had been told about lip and tongue ties (a congenital condition called Ankyloglossia) in children and began to earnestly research the condition and it’s symptoms. I was BLOWN AWAY that something so simple, and usually easy to fix, could cause so many problems for thousands of frustrated mothers and children! I hold a masters degree in craniofacial development, have trained at two dental schools in India, as well as advanced training at Harvard Dental School, yet still had never learned about lip and tongue ties.

I was determined and quickly became formally trained to fix lip and tongue ties. My 6 year old son was my first patient for that procedure, called a frenectomy. His issues with chewing and throwing up his food immediately disappeared! In some instances, lip and tongue ties can contribute to cavities, speech development issues, and digestive complications. These are a few reasons why it is important to recognize and fix the problem early on.

For the mothers who can relate to this story, I want to say to you – I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL! I encourage you to look for lip and tongue tie symptoms like the ones below:

• Poor latch
• Colic symptoms
• Reflux symptoms
• Poor weight gain
• Continuous feedings
• Gumming or chewing of nipple
• Unable to take pacifier or bottle
• Incomplete breast drainage
• Infected nipples or breasts
• Nipple thrush

Because of my own experience, I am extremely committed to bringing relief and joy back to nursing mothers and their babies. Enclave Dental is one of a very small group of dental practices in all of North Texas who use a precision laser during the procedure. This special laser means a frenectomy in our office usually takes a mere 1-2 minutes, with only a topical, local anesthetic being used, so your child remains perfectly comfortable and hardly skips a beat!

Thank you for letting me share a little of my story with you. It is my true hope that I will be a small part of your story, in some way, as we continue to encourage safe, holistic dental care. Please call our office today for an appointment – I am very excited to visit with you soon!

Embracing Whole-Body Wellness,

Preetha Thomas, DMD
Enclave Dental