How We Can Help
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How We Can Help -
At the Oral Tie Center of San Diego, Dr. Brian Hatch and his dedicated team are committed to helping individuals of all ages achieve optimal oral health and well-being. We specialize in diagnosing and treating oral ties, offering expert care to address concerns related to tongue, lip, and cheek restrictions. Our comprehensive services, including airway evaluations, gentle laser tie releases, and personalized follow-up care, are designed to improve breathing, feeding, speech, and overall function. With a focus on patient-centered care and advanced techniques, we’re here to support you and your family every step of the way toward better health and a brighter future.
Airway Clinical Exam
An airway clinical evaluation helps uncover how oral ties and other factors might be affecting your breathing, sleep, and overall health. During this evaluation, we take a close look at how your airway is working and check for any restrictions caused by tongue, lip, or cheek ties. We’ll review your medical history, talk about any sleep or breathing challenges you’ve experienced, and perform a gentle physical exam to pinpoint any issues. By understanding how these factors impact your well-being, we can recommend the best treatment options to help you breathe easier, sleep better, and feel your best.
Oral Tie Release
An oral tie release is a gentle procedure performed by Dr. Hatch using a state-of-the-art light scalpel laser to free restricted tongue or lip movement caused by a tight frenulum (the small band of tissue under the tongue or lip). This advanced approach ensures precision, minimal discomfort, and promotes proper healing. The procedure can improve a wide range of challenges, from difficulty breastfeeding or eating to issues with speech, breathing, and sleep. We’ll guide you every step of the way, from explaining what to expect to providing aftercare support, helping you or your child experience improved mobility, comfort, and overall well-being.
Continuted Care
Continued care after an oral tie release is essential for achieving the best long-term results. After the procedure, we provide detailed guidance on healing exercises to support proper recovery and improve tongue and lip mobility. Follow-up appointments with Dr. Hatch allow us to monitor progress, address any concerns, and ensure everything is healing as expected. We also connect you with additional resources like myofunctional therapy to strengthen oral muscles and optimize function, or orthodontic interventions when necessary to support structural alignment. This collaborative approach helps ensure you or your child experience lasting improvements in feeding, speech, breathing, and overall oral health.
FAQs
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We start by using a questionnaire to identify any symptoms that might be connected to a tongue-tie. Next, we interview the parent to gather the child’s history and discuss any functional concerns. After collecting this information, we conduct a thorough evaluation to assess the degree of restriction. If a restriction is present, we use a specialized camera to capture detailed images of the tongue- or lip-tie, allowing us to clearly visualize the structure before creating a personalized treatment plan.
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This is an important concern for many of our families. Often, dental insurance companies classify the procedure as a congenital medical condition and may deny coverage. However, many medical or health insurance plans cover both the evaluation and procedure. We provide a health insurance claim form that you can submit for reimbursement, though filing the claim is the patient’s responsibility, and coverage is not guaranteed. Patients are required to pay out of pocket before treatment, with all charges clearly communicated in advance. Since we do not have contracts with insurance companies, we are considered out-of-network providers. If you have questions or would like information about the current costs for the consultation and procedure, our team is happy to assist.
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Full payment is required at the time of the exam or procedure. This procedure is an investment in your child’s present and future health, as it often resolves challenges with breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, eating solids, speaking, and sleeping. If buccal cheek ties need to be released, there is no additional charge. Additionally, we do not charge for follow-up visits or for repeating the procedure within the first year, if necessary. While we provide a health insurance claim form for you to submit to your insurance carrier for potential reimbursement, coverage cannot be guaranteed, as we are considered out-of-network with all health plans. A $50 deposit is required for all consultations and will be applied toward the $125 consultation fee. This deposit is non-refundable if the appointment is canceled with less than 48 hours’ notice or if the patient does not attend the appointment.
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Diagnosing tongue-ties and lip-ties can be challenging, as most healthcare professionals receive little to no training on this topic during medical or dental school or even residency programs. Providers must pursue additional training and continuing education to stay informed about the latest advancements and diagnostic techniques. Dr. Hatch attends multiple tongue-tie-related conferences each year to remain up-to-date on the most current research and practices. We are happy to evaluate your child and, if a restriction is present, provide our treatment recommendations. Often, parents sense that something is wrong, even after another provider has said there is no restriction. Many come to us for a second opinion, and we frequently identify and treat restrictions that were previously missed. Once the child receives the appropriate care, the issues typically resolve. This scenario occurs regularly in our office, which is why Dr. Hatch is actively working on several projects to educate both providers and parents.
Here From Our Patients
“This place is awesome! Dr. Hatch and his team do awesome work! We brought my 2 month old in for a lip and tongue tie release. He was thorough and was able to immediately identify her ties and needs. The procedure was fast and the team did awesome work with my baby. Their bedside manner was awesome, even for my 3-year-old who was tagging along with us! They also made sure we were super comfortable with everything they were doing and really seemed to care about both the parents and the kids.”
— Emily B.
“I can't thank Dr. Hatch and the team enough for their exceptional care! They expertly addressed my newborn's lip and tongue tie, making the entire process smooth and reassuring. The staff was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, ensuring we felt comfortable every step of the way. The results have made a significant difference for my baby, and I’m so grateful for their expertise and compassion. I highly recommend them to any parent looking for a skilled and caring pediatric dentist!”
— Annette L.
“Amazing treatment and staff! Our one month old had her lip and tongue tie corrected here and nothing but great things to say-we drive three hours for initial appointment and follow up care and it was very worth it. Dr hatch is very personable and we were very well informed, we felt so comfortable after he explained what to expect in office and follow up. Our baby was so well taken care of by the entire staff. Highly recommend treatment here!”
— Anna S.
