At Bell Hill Dental, we aim to help children achieve healthy smiles, healthy bodies and to develop properly. Therefore, we offer tongue-tie reduction.

Parents and infant smiling outside their home in Dunedin

Is Your Baby Having Trouble Breastfeeding?

Tongue-Tie Release in Dunedin, Otago

At Bell Hill Dental, our dual-qualified registered nurse and dentist, Dr Ally Dunning, aims to help children develop normally, stay healthy and thrive in every way! Because the tongue is an essential organ in childhood development, we offer tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) release using dental laser treatment for a comfortable and successful journey from infancy into childhood.

What Is a Tongue-Tie?

In each of our mouths, we have small bands of tissue called frenula that exist between the upper lip and gums, lower lip and gums, buccal (cheek), and under the tongue. When these tissue tethers are too big or tight, can inhibit oral movements and normal function, causing issues with:

Breastfeeding
Managing solid foods
Sleep
Breathing problems
Dental development

Functional restrictions can even continue into adulthood with persistent breathing and speech issues.

Is Your Child Showing Signs of a Tongue Tie?

At Bell Hill Dental, we are proud to be the only dental practice in the Otago region providing advanced laser treatment for tethered oral tissues (TOTS). Our dual-qualified registered nurse and dentist, Dr Ally Dunning, combines medical and dental expertise to provide a gentle, comprehensive assessment for infants and children.

Here are common signs and symptoms of a tongue-tie:

Feeding Difficulties

Infants with a tongue-tie may have trouble achieving a deep latch, leading to clicking sounds, long feeding times or poor weight gain.

Support for Mothers

Breastfeeding should be a joyful bonding experience. If a tongue-tie is causing persistent soreness or a difficult latch, a gentle release can help restore comfort and ease for both you and your baby.

Speech Delays

Older children might struggle with certain letter sounds (such as 't', 'd', 'z', 's', 'r', and 'l') as the tongue cannot reach the roof of the mouth.

Difficulty with Solids

Children may gag frequently or have trouble moving food around their mouths to chew and swallow properly.

Sleep and Breathing Issues

Restricted tongue movement can contribute to mouth breathing or restless sleep patterns in young children.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the risks of tongue-tie release?

Complications of tongue-tie release or frenectomy are extremely rare, especially when you have a knowledgeable dental team working for you. And even rare complications do not tend to be life-altering because they can be corrected with intervention.

Rare risks include bleeding, salivary gland issues, and infection. However, your Dunedin, Otago dentist takes every precaution when performing the very routine tongue-tie release. We even use a laser, which means no cutting.

What Is a Tongue Tie?

Frenula tissue is normal beneath the tongue, upper lip and gums. However, it can be too tight or tethered, making life difficult. For babies, it can interfere with breastfeeding, sleep, and breathing. Later, it can hamper speech development, lead to chewing complications, and cause oral health issues.

Your child’s dentist in Dunedin can gently release the tongue tie, giving your baby the best head start in life. By relying on our dental laser, there is little to no bleeding, and your child may not even feel the release.

Talk to Your Family Dentist in Dunedin, NZ to Learn More

If you would like to arrange a tongue-tie release consultation with the dentist or have questions for our dental team, we encourage you to reach out to Bell Hill Dental today.

What to expect after tongue-tie release surgery?

Bell Hill Dental provides many different dentistry services, including tongue-tie release in Dunedin. After tongue-tie release surgery, a diamond-shaped wound may appear under the patient’s tongue.

It typically takes 14 days to heal, sometimes longer, and the wound may look whitish-yellow in colour. Healing begins immediately after treatment, and the wound may appear larger than expected.

Mild Bleeding and Pain

Some oral bleeding and pain are expected after surgery, and your dentist may recommend or prescribe pain relief medication, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Suggested Diet

The patient may follow regular feeding and diet unless your dentist uses a local anaesthetic. In this case, patients must consume soft, room-temperature or cold foods and drinks until the medication wears off.

Wound Care

Patients may rinse their mouth with salt water several times daily to soothe the mouth and promote healing.

Exercises

It’s essential to perform tongue-stretching exercises several times daily for four to six weeks after surgery. Exercises vary based on the patient’s age, type of surgery and dentist’s recommendation. Tongue exercises strengthen the tongue muscle, improve coordination and range of motion and lessen the chance of scar tissue formation or tissue reattachment.

Our dental team welcomes your call on 03-477-8387 for additional information about our services, including tongue-tie release surgery and aftercare.

Is there a minimum age for a laser frenectomy?

No, there isn’t a minimum age for a laser frenectomy; in fact, this short procedure can be performed as soon as your newborn exhibits difficulty feeding, latching on or gaining weight.

In an effort to support their long-term development and help your baby nurse more effectively, our dental clinic recommends laser frenectomies to patients as young as a few weeks old.

The Laser Frenectomy Procedure

It’s normal for your child to have frenula tissue under their upper lip, gums and tongue. But when this tissue is too tight for them to breastfeed, breathe properly or get enough sleep, a laser frenectomy may be necessary.

For this fast, minimally invasive procedure, we’ll numb your baby’s mouth using a topical anaesthetic.

Then, we’ll use our soft tissue laser to vaporise the restrictive tissue. Because our laser cauterises as it works, there will be minimal bleeding.

In just a few minutes, you can take your child home to rest and recover.

Laser Frenectomy for Infants in Dunedin, Otago

If you have questions about frenectomies or tongue-tie release age, our dental team will happily assist you! At Bell Hill Dental, we’ll answer your questions and put your mind at ease concerning your little one’s oral health.

To arrange a consultation, feel free to call us on 03-477 8387.

Laser Dentistry for Soft-Tissue Surgery

Many dentists are turning to laser dentistry for soft-tissue surgery because, in many cases, it results in less bleeding, reduced discomfort and faster healing.

While traditional scissor or scalpel “snips” often leave tongue ties only partially released, laser surgery is quick and precise resulting in a complete release of restricted tissue.

Using laser light energy, the dental laser cuts and seals tissue simultaneously, often eliminating the need for stitches. As a result, less bleeding occurs, and pain is minimised during and after treatment.

Tongue-Tie Treatment in Dunedin

After a comprehensive discussion and assessment, if a tongue or lip tie is determined to be contributing to the issues you or your child are experiencing, in most cases we can help immediately without the need for sedation or general anaesthesia.

Most tongue-tie procedures take less than two minutes using a laser.

Once the procedure is complete, your dentist will instruct you on tongue-tie exercises to perform to avoid reattachment of the frenulum. We will demonstrate these exercises for you and answer any questions you might have.

Paediatric tongue-tie surgery is relatively non-invasive and heals quickly when performed by a skilled dentist using laser treatment.

Exclusively Serving the Otago Region

As the only practice in Otago currently offering this advanced laser tongue-tie release, Bell Hill Dental provides a critical service for infants and children. Our goal is to ensure that families in Dunedin and the surrounding Otago area have access to world-class tethered oral tissue (TOTS) treatment without the stress of long-distance travel.

We Welcome You to Call Bell Hill Dental to Learn More

We understand that parents can have anxiety about any procedure involving their precious little ones. Our compassionate dentist, Dr Dunning, is here to make sure parents and babies are entirely comfortable during any procedure.

We invite you to contact Bell Hill Dental to learn more about our tongue-tie release procedure or children’s dentistry in Dunedin. You can schedule a consultation online.

While a referral is requested for breastfeeding infants so we can be sure there is adequate feeding support in place, older children and adults do not require a referral for laser tongue tie release. We look forward to welcoming you and your family into our care.

Meet Our Doctor:

Dr Ally Dunning BHSc, BDS
Dentist

Ally is a dual-qualified registered nurse and dentist, graduating from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 2010.

Since graduating, Ally has worked in both public and private practice, including two years at Dunedin Public Hospital as a dental house surgeon, where she acquired skills in both surgical and emergency dentistry. Ally practices all areas of general dentistry, including cosmetic and restorative treatment. However, she is interested in oral surgery, the removal of 'hopeless' teeth, including wisdom teeth.

Another area of Ally's interest is in tethered oral tissues, ...

Featured Blog Posts - Tongue-Tie Release

March 23, 2026

Your Baby's First Appointment: What Happens at an Infant Tongue-Tie Assessment at Bell Hill Dental

infant in Dunedin after tongue-tie release assessment

At Bell Hill Dental, our goal is to help your child stay healthy and thrive! But sometimes, certain issues arise that can affect their development and hinder their oral movements. One of these issues is a tongue-tie; fortunately, we offer tongue-tie release using a dental laser.

Let’s explore what you need to know about this minor surgical procedure.

Understanding the Why: When to Seek a Tongue-Tie Assessment

In your child’s mouth, there are bands of tissue between their upper lip and gums, lower lip and gums, under their tongue, and inside their ...

August 7, 2023

How Our Dentists Utilise Laser Dentistry to Provide Tongue-Tie Relief in Children

two dentists from Bell Hill Dental sitting near laser dentistry tool in Dunedin

Bell Hill Dental provides personalised dentistry for patients of all ages. Among the many services we offer at our Dunedin dental clinic is laser dentistry. With laser dentistry, we can perform various procedures more efficiently and comfortably, including soft-tissue surgery like tongue-tie release. If your child has tongue-tie, we invite you to book an exam with Dr Ally to determine the best treatment for their needs.

What Is Tongue-Tie?

The tongue connects to the mouth’s floor with a web of tissue called the lingual frenulum. Tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, is a variation ...

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