Lip-tie and tongue-tie care in Gilbert
Frenectomy
By the team at Desert Valley Oral Surgery, Gilbert. October 27, 2026. Rewritten for easier reading. The procedure facts are unchanged.
A frenectomy at Desert Valley Oral Surgery in Gilbert usually takes a few minutes, and most patients need just a topical anesthetic to numb the area. Dr. Donovan Hansen and Dr. Eric Grant, our two board-certified oral surgeons, perform it for children and adults with a lip-tie or tongue-tie.
The frenum is the small fold of tissue that joins your upper or lower lip to your gums, or sits beneath your tongue. When it’s too large or too tight, it can leave a gap between the front teeth or hold the tongue down. The procedure clips or removes that tissue.
The short version, Gilbert office
| Treats | A frenum that is too large, linked to tongue-tie and gapped front teeth |
|---|---|
| Patients | Children and adults |
| Numbing | A topical anesthetic for most patients |
| Time in the chair | Rarely longer than a few minutes, start to finish |
| Method | Clipping or removal with scissors, a scalpel or a laser |
| Stitches | Dissolvable, when the surgeon decides they’re needed |
| Surgeons | Dr. Donovan Hansen, DDS, and Dr. Eric Grant, DMD |
| Booking | Call the Gilbert office or use our scheduling page |
Source: Desert Valley Oral Surgery’s procedure information and its Gilbert Business Profile listing, read October 27, 2026.
A range of oral health and speech benefits.
Your surgeon will tell you which of these three goals applies to you.
- Less Pull on the Gums
Clipping the frenum that ties your upper or lower lip to the gums takes away the tug that can cause pressure and soreness there.
- Room for the Front Teeth
Reducing the thick band of tissue between the upper front teeth removes one thing that can hold them apart.
- A Freer Tongue
Releasing a tight frenum under the tongue is meant to help with speaking and eating, and in children, with how the palate grows.
When is a frenectomy needed?
An exam decides it.
It’s needed when the frenum is large or tight enough to cause one of the problems above, and a look at the tissue is how you find out. Surgery makes most people nervous, and more so when the patient is your child. This one is short. Most patients stay comfortable with a topical anesthetic alone. Our surgeons also find it simpler when it’s done earlier in life, and early treatment can lower the chance that the frenum affects how the jaw and teeth develop. We think a consultation is a better next step than guessing from photos online.
To get a frenectomy or not?
Braces alone can be enough for a milder lip-tie between the upper front teeth, but they can’t undo every effect of a large frenum. There’s no other treatment aimed at the frenum itself.
So the choice is the procedure or no procedure, and you make it with your surgeon after the exam.
At the appointment.
Park directly in front of our building on Baseline Road and look for Suite 106 at the entrance.
- Only a Few Minutes
From the time you sit down to the time you’re done, it rarely runs longer than a few minutes.
- Numbing the Area
Your surgeon applies a topical anesthetic to the frenum and the tissue around it.
- Clip and Close
The surgeon clips or removes the frenum with scissors, a scalpel or a laser. If the spot needs it, dissolvable stitches close it.
Questions before a lip-tie or tongue-tie visit
My dentist says my 7-year-old has a lip-tie and a gap between her front teeth. Can a frenectomy in Gilbert help?
It can be part of the answer. A large frenum between the upper lip and gums is one of the things that can hold the front teeth apart, and the procedure reduces or removes it. Whether your daughter needs it, and when, is something Dr. Hansen or Dr. Grant decides after looking at the tissue and her teeth at our Gilbert office.
Do adults get a frenectomy for tongue-tie, or is it just for kids?
Adults get it too. Our surgeons at Desert Valley Oral Surgery in Gilbert treat children and adults. The steps are the same at any age: a topical anesthetic to numb the area, then clipping or removing the frenum, with dissolvable stitches if needed. You can request a consultation through our scheduling page.
I'm nervous about pain. Will I be put under for this?
Usually not. Most patients at our Gilbert office need just a topical anesthetic, a numbing medicine put on the frenum and the tissue around it, and stay awake for the visit. If being awake for it worries you, ask your surgeon at the consultation if general anesthesia is an option for you.
Do you use a laser to remove the frenum, or a scalpel?
Depends. Our surgeons at Desert Valley Oral Surgery in Gilbert can use scissors, a scalpel or a laser to clip or remove the frenum. When the spot needs closing after that, they use dissolvable stitches, the kind that break down on their own.
Who does this procedure in Gilbert, a dentist or an oral surgeon?
At Desert Valley Oral Surgery, it’s one of our two board-certified oral surgeons, Dr. Donovan Hansen, DDS, or Dr. Eric Grant, DMD. It’s one of the oral surgery procedures we offer, along with wisdom teeth removal, dental implants and bone grafting, so the same surgical team handles it at our Gilbert office.
Visit our Gilbert office
Desert Valley Oral Surgery is a practice of board-certified oral surgeons with offices in Gilbert and Queen Creek. Our Gilbert oral surgery office is on Baseline Road, near Banner Gateway Medical Center.
Desert Valley Oral Surgery
2915 E Baseline Rd, STE 106, Gilbert, AZ 85234
(480) 539-6420
To book, call that number or use our scheduling page.
Welcome to Desert Valley Oral Surgery
At Desert Valley Oral Surgery, we know how to help you. Our board-certified surgeons and expert staff can provide the care you need to relieve the discomfort you feel.
