01 / Children
Eating textures that feel hard.
Gagging on lumpy food, refusing meat or bread, packing food in the cheeks, slow eaters who never seem hungry. Tongue mobility plays a quiet role in how children learn to chew and swallow.
Laser Dentistry · Tongue & Lip Tie
Laser Tongue & Lip Tie Release
You've heard the words "tongue tie" more than once — from a dentist, a speech pathologist, or after years of wondering why your tongue can't quite get where it needs to go. Here's what the assessment looks like, and the visit that follows. No pressure.
A note before we begin
You probably don't need someone else telling you something might be a tongue tie. What you need is someone to walk you through what the assessment involves — and what the visit actually feels like, whether you're booking for your child, your teen, or yourself.
So let's start there. Calmly. Clinically. And without pressure to book anything until the assessment makes the answer clear.
— The Magical Smiles laser team
What it helps with
When the tongue or lip can't quite reach.
A restrictive frenulum can show up at almost any age that walks into a dental chair. Sometimes it shows up as a school-aged child whose speech sounds aren't coming. Sometimes as a teen with a gap between the front teeth. Sometimes as an adult whose jaw has clicked since university. Here's what we see most often.
What a tongue tie actually looks like.
The lingual frenulum is the thin band of tissue under the tongue. In most mouths it's loose enough that the tongue lifts and stretches freely. When it's shorter, thicker, or attached further forward, tongue movement is restricted — that's what's meant by a "tongue tie." A similar band under the upper lip can restrict lip movement instead, which is what's meant by a lip tie.
Diagram is illustrative and general — anatomy and severity vary between individuals. An in-chair functional assessment is what actually determines whether release is appropriate for you or your child.
02 / School-age
Speech sounds that haven't come.
Persistent difficulty with 'r', 'l', 's', 'th' — sounds the tongue tip needs height and flexibility to make. Speech pathology stays the lead; release is considered when restriction is clearly part of the picture.
03 / Teens
The midline gap that won't close.
A persistent gap between the upper front teeth (diastema), held in place by a thick labial frenum. Often a key consideration in orthodontic planning, and a quiet daily frustration in every photo.
04 / Adults
The tightness you learned to live with.
Restricted tongue elevation, jaw tension, mouth breathing at night, or the quiet sense your tongue has always sat a little low. It is rarely too late to assess.
05 / Adults
Gum recession behind the lower teeth.
A tight lower lingual frenum pulling on the gum margin can contribute to recession behind the bottom front teeth. Release sometimes accompanies periodontal care to take the strain off.
06 / Adults
A lip tie that quietly bothers you.
An upper labial frenum that contributes to a diastema, recurring food trap, or recession at the front. Often something patients have noticed for decades and never realised was addressable.
How the laser works
Light, instead of scissors.
A laser frenectomy uses precisely tuned light energy — not blades — to release the band of tissue restricting the tongue or lip. The Er:YAG wavelength is strongly absorbed by water in soft tissue, so it works fast, in tiny increments, and seals as it goes.
The Er:YAG beam, photographed mid-emission through cascading water — the same physics that makes this wavelength ideal for soft-tissue work like frenectomy.
Soft-tissue precision, measured in microns.
The Er:YAG laser is absorbed by water at almost the exact rate the body would prefer — vaporising the restrictive tissue in tiny, controlled passes while sealing small blood vessels and nerve endings as it works. The result is a release that is usually over in under a minute, typically does not require stitches, and produces little bleeding to manage.
For our patients — older children, teens and adults — it means the appointment feels closer to a long filling than to surgery. You walk in, you sit comfortably, the area is numbed gradually, the laser does its work in seconds, and you walk out with aftercare instructions and a follow-up date.
- Frenectomy
- Complete release of the restrictive frenulum — the most common laser approach for tongue and lip ties.
- Frenotomy
- A more conservative incision of the frenulum, sometimes used for very superficial anterior ties.
- Posterior tongue tie
- A submucosal restriction — harder to see but often felt during functional assessment.
The equipment
Fotona LightWalker. The same laser used worldwide.
Magical Smiles uses the Fotona LightWalker — a dual-wavelength Er:YAG and Nd:YAG dental laser system. For tongue and lip tie release, the Er:YAG wavelength is the workhorse: tightly absorbed by soft tissue, gentle on surrounding structures, and well-suited to delicate intraoral anatomy.
Why we chose this system.
The LightWalker isn't the cheapest laser available. We chose it because it does what soft-tissue work like this asks for — precise depth control, predictable behaviour on small structures, gentle on the underlying muscle, and rapid in the hands of an experienced operator.
- Er:YAG · 2940 nm The wavelength most strongly absorbed by water — ideal for the high-water-content soft tissue of the frenum.
- VSP technology Variable Square Pulse delivery — short, clean pulses that vaporise tissue with minimal heat transfer to surroundings.
- Tunable across patients Power and pulse settings span the conservative range needed for delicate paediatric mucosa through to denser adult tissue, without compromising precision.
- Audited safety Eye protection, fume evacuation and TGA-listed device protocols followed at every procedure.
What the appointment is actually like
The visit, step by step.
The release itself is brief. The reason we spend more time around it is so the assessment is right, the consent is informed, and the aftercare is something you can genuinely do at home in the weeks that follow.
i
Consultation
A full history — what brought you in, speech and eating concerns if relevant, dental and gum observations. Calm room, no rush. Bring whoever you want.
Visit 1 · 30 minii
Functional assessment
Tongue elevation, lateralisation, speech sample, dental and periodontal check. Coordination with your speech pathologist, orthodontist or GP where applicable.
Visit 1 · 15 miniii
Findings & consent
We talk you through what we found, whether release is genuinely indicated, what to expect, and the alternatives — including doing nothing. Written quote and timing.
Visit 1 · 15 miniv
On the day
The Wand (computer-controlled local anaesthetic) numbs the area gradually at a barely perceptible rate. Protective eyewear for everyone in the room.
Visit 2 · 10 min prepv
The release
You're comfortable in the chair, the area is fully numb. The laser portion typically takes 60–90 seconds. No scalpel, no scissors, no sutures in most cases.
Visit 2 · 1–3 minvi
Immediate function check
A gentle rinse and a movement check — tongue elevation, lip flange, swallow. The first movements feel different but quickly become normal as the numbness wears off.
Visit 2 · 15–20 minvii
Aftercare teaching
We demonstrate the wound stretches you will do at home for 2–4 weeks. Written instructions, a short video link, and a number to call if anything worries you.
Visit 2 · 10 minviii
Review
A follow-up visit at 1–2 weeks to check healing and movement, troubleshoot the stretches, and confirm we are on the right track.
Visit 3 · 20 min
Compared to scissors or scalpel
A quieter, smaller moment.
Both scissor and laser release are clinically valid techniques performed widely in Australia. Here is how the laser approach typically differs in practice — your clinician will explain which is right for your situation at assessment.
Aspect
Scissor / scalpel
Laser (Er:YAG)
Bleeding
Small amount, controlled with gauze
Typically minimal — laser seals as it works often less
Sutures
Sometimes required
Typically not required usually none
Procedure time
2–5 minutes
60–90 seconds for the cut itself
Anaesthetic
Local injection or topical
Local via The Wand (computer-controlled flow)
Posterior / submucosal ties
Harder to access cleanly
Generally well-suited commonly chosen
Aftercare stretches
Required
Required — identical importance
Why families choose Magical Smiles
Calm rooms, careful hands, real coordination.
Tongue tie work sits at the intersection of dentistry, speech pathology, orthodontics and periodontics. We try to make our part of the puzzle the quiet, predictable bit you don't have to worry about.
01
A decade with laser
Over ten years of clinical laser dentistry — soft-tissue procedures are not a new addition for us. Frenectomy protocols are well-rehearsed and the team knows what calm looks like.
02
Fotona LightWalker
Dual-wavelength Er:YAG and Nd:YAG — the system used by leading laser dental practices worldwide. The Er:YAG handles the soft-tissue precision this procedure needs.
03
Coordinated care
We work alongside your speech pathologist, orthodontist, GP, paediatrician or periodontist — sharing notes (with your consent) so you are not the courier of your own care.
04
Family rooms, quiet pace
Dedicated paediatric-friendly rooms, dimmable lighting, a kids' lounge for siblings, and longer appointment times so nothing feels rushed.
05
The Wand for every patient
For children and adults who need local anaesthesia, we use The Wand — computer-controlled flow that delivers numbing at a barely perceptible rate. Often the part patients comment on after.
06
Honest assessments
Not every tie needs releasing, and we will say so when that is what we find. The consultation answers the question — it does not commit you to anything.
FAQ
The questions most patients ask first.
Answered plainly, by the team you would see in the chair. Ask anything else when you call — we would rather you ring with twenty questions than book unsure.
A tongue tie (ankyloglossia) is a tight or short lingual frenulum — the band of tissue under the tongue — that restricts tongue movement. A lip tie is a similarly tight labial frenulum running from the upper lip down to the gum, which can restrict lip flange. Both are assessed clinically and functionally before any release is considered. Anatomy alone is not enough — what matters is whether the restriction is causing a problem.
Magical Smiles performs laser tongue and lip tie release for school-age children, teens and adults — patients old enough to sit comfortably through a dental visit with local anaesthetic. We do not provide tongue tie release for infants or babies. For very young patients, we recommend assessment by a paediatric specialist or paediatrician — the protocol and clinical setting for that age group is best handled in specialist hands.
Not every tight frenulum needs releasing, and not every speech or eating issue traces back to a tie. A proper assessment looks at tongue mobility, functional impact on speech and chewing, dental and gum effects, and whether other causes have been considered (orthodontic, neurological, habit). We will talk you through what we find and only recommend release if it is genuinely indicated.
A laser frenectomy uses an Er:YAG laser to vaporise the restrictive tissue in seconds. Compared with scissors or scalpel, the laser typically causes less bleeding, seals small vessels and nerve endings as it works, generally does not require stitches, and the procedure itself is brief. Both techniques are valid; suitability depends on age, presentation and operator experience.
Local anaesthetic via The Wand is used — a computer-controlled flow that delivers numbing at a barely perceptible rate. Once the area is fully numb, the laser portion is brief, often under a minute. You feel pressure rather than pain. We do not make gentler promises, but the protocol is designed to be as calm and quick as possible.
Most patients can speak immediately, though the area feels numb for a few hours — similar to a routine filling. Soft food is recommended for the first day; normal diet resumes within a few days as comfort allows. For children, school can usually resume the next day. Specific guidance is given at the appointment and depends on which frenum was released.
After a release, the wound under the tongue or lip needs gentle stretches several times a day for around 2–4 weeks. This helps it heal in an open, mobile position rather than re-attaching. We demonstrate the exact technique at the appointment, give you written and video instructions, and review at follow-up. If the stretches feel hard to keep up at any point, call — we will work through it with you.
Sometimes. Tongue restriction can play a quiet role in difficulty making sounds that need tongue-tip elevation (r, l, s, th). But speech development is multifactorial, and a speech pathologist is the right lead clinician. If they identify restriction as a factor and refer for assessment, we work alongside them — not in front of them.
Yes. We see adults dealing with restricted tongue movement, persistent jaw tension, mouth breathing at night, gum recession associated with a tight lower frenulum, or simply the long-held sense that their tongue has always sat too low. Local anaesthesia is used and the post-procedure experience is similar to a minor gum surgery. Recovery is generally straightforward.
Cost depends on age, complexity, type of anaesthesia and whether a lip tie is also released. We confirm pricing in writing at consultation, before booking the procedure. Eligible children may access benefits under the CDBS, subject to Medicare terms. Private health rebates may also apply, subject to your fund.
Magical Smiles laser dentistry services are offered across our practice. Where the Fotona LightWalker is required, your consultation will direct you to the most appropriate clinic and clinician. Phone the clinic most convenient to you and we will arrange the right pathway.
Where to find us
Three clinics across Melbourne's west.
Caroline Springs, Bacchus Marsh and Point Cook — each with its own team, parking, and family-friendly waiting area. Phone the one most convenient and we will direct your enquiry to the right pathway.
01
Caroline Springs
Burnside · Taylors Hill · Hillside · Sydenham
Phone(03) 8358 2565
HoursMon–Fri 8.30–6 · Sat by appt
ParkingOn-site, free
02
Bacchus Marsh
Maddingley · Darley · Hopetoun Park · Long Forest
Phone(03) 8001 7008
HoursMon–Fri 9–5 · Sat by appt
ParkingStreet + nearby lots
03
Point Cook
Williams Landing · Sanctuary Lakes · Werribee · Altona Meadows
Phone(03) 8338 1515
HoursMon–Sat 9–6 · Sun by appt
ParkingUnderground, free
When you're ready
This is for you if you're tired of guessing.
Book a consultation when it suits you. We will assess properly, explain plainly, and only recommend release if it is genuinely needed. The first visit answers the question — it does not commit you to anything.