Cole’s Tongue-Tie Success Story: A Q&A With His Mom

When most people think of a tongue-tie, they picture babies who struggle with feeding, but symptoms can show up much later in childhood. Cole’s journey is a powerful tongue-tie success story that shows how addressing a posterior tongue-tie can improve sleep, posture, breathing and overall function. His experience is not only a clinical tongue-tie success story, but also a family-focused tongue-tie success story that highlights how subtle symptoms can be overlooked for years.

For parents searching for answers, Cole’s tongue-tie success story brings awareness and hope that improvement is possible at any age. We spoke with Cole’s mom, Vanessa, to learn more about his journey and how Wake Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry in Raleigh, Garner and Smithfield, NC helped him thrive.

Q: What symptoms first made you realize something was going on?

A: As a baby, Cole never had feeding or weight gain issues. There were no nursing problems at all. It wasn’t until he got older that we noticed changes. He became a really bad mouth breather at night and snored like an old man. At 2½, he had his adenoids taken out because they were huge, and his snoring stopped for a little while. Fast forward to age 8 and the snoring was back again. His tonsils were touching, so he had those taken out as well. After that, the snoring stopped but he was still constantly breathing through his mouth.

Q: What led you to explore a tongue-tie release?

A: We tried myofunctional therapy and that helped, but his adult teeth came in severely crowded, so he had palate expansion. We paused for a bit, but he was still mouth breathing, so we went back to myofunctional therapy. When we pulled up his old notes, we noticed he had a posterior tongue-tie. That’s when I started looking into tongue-tie releases and that’s how I found Dr. Kornstein. When we met with him, I loved that he wasn’t trying to sell us anything. He said it was really up to us at this point. I had seen pictures of better mobility after releasing a tongue-tie, and I wanted Cole to have better neck mobility and flexibility.

Q: How was the consultation with Dr. Kornstein?

A: The best thing was how quickly he picked up on the fact that Cole has a lot of dental anxiety. He gets cavities extremely fast and had three teeth pulled, and that caused major anxiety around dental treatment. During the consultation he started crying, and Dr. Kornstein immediately said, “We can do this under anesthesia.” That was huge for us and made meeting with him such a good experience.

Q: What was the procedure like?

A: It was super easy. We went to the Garner office, and he was back there for about 20 minutes. Not long at all. When they called me back and he was waking up, the first thing he said was, “Oh Mom, I love you. Wow, my neck feels better,” and that was one of the reasons I wanted him to have the release in the first place. He also didn’t have any nausea afterward, and he usually gets nauseous from anesthesia.

Q: Did you notice improvements right away?

A: Yes. He did some of his tongue exercises and instantly had 10 more millimeters of space to open his mouth. He had much more mobility and was able to hold his tongue in place better. I also don’t notice him mouth breathing as much.

Q: What would you tell other parents considering treatment?

A: I would say it’s 100% worth it if your kid has the same dentist fear that my son has. Definitely see Dr. Kornstein because he has options. It’s life changing and it’s a whole-body issue. It’s definitely worth pursuing and I would absolutely recommend it.

Q: Anything else you want to share about the team?

A: The office is really great. I had to bring my younger son to two of the appointments and the office is super kid-friendly. They even have a playroom with a surfboard balance board. Everyone was great to work with.

How One Tongue-Tie Success Story Transformed Sleep and Function

Cole’s journey shows that tongue-tie can affect much more than feeding — influencing breathing, posture, dental development and overall function. His continued progress adds another inspiring chapter to his tongue-tie success story, and we’re grateful to his family for sharing their experience. Stories like his make it clear that every tongue-tie success story has the potential to support better health and confidence, and we’re thrilled to celebrate his ongoing tongue-tie success story here at Wake Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry.

Cole’s Tongue-Tie Success Story: Request Your Consultation in Raleigh or Garner, NC Today

If you’re exploring whether a tongue‑tie might be affecting your child’s sleep, airway, or day‑to‑day comfort, Dr. Kornstein at Wake Pediatric Tongue‑Tie Center can help guide you toward your own tongue‑tie success story. Dr. Kornstein specializes in diagnosing and treating both tongue and lip ties using gentle laser frenectomy procedures designed to improve range of motion with minimal discomfort. These services are available at our Raleigh and Garner locations.

Whether your child has feeding difficulties as an infant, speech and eating struggles as a toddler, or restless sleep linked to tethered oral tissue, the Wake Pediatric Tongue‑Tie Center offers personalized care in a fun, supportive environment and will guide you through the entire process, including post‑procedure recovery and exercises to help achieve the best outcome. Request your consultation today to learn how we can support your family’s journey and help them achieve a lasting tongue-tie success story.