Tongue Tie

Breastfeeding babies normally create a vacuum on the breast, while a baby with limited tongue mobility instead resorts to squeezing the milk out. This can be painful for the mother and frustrating for the child. Tongue-tie can also lead to speech development issues and tooth decay as some babies grow.

Not every breastfeeding challenge is related to a tongue tie or lip tie. Discussing latching techniques and alternate positions or methods with your lactation consultant can help address some early problems with breastfeeding. If feeding does not improve, it is important to receive a complete evaluation with a pediatric ear, nose, and throat specialist to ensure that there are no underlying throat or airway problems that are interfering with feeding. Some children with tongue-tie see symptoms improve with observation and feeding therapy alone.

If your pediatric ENT determines that a tongue or lip tie is causing nursing problems, a procedure to release the tongue tie can be considered. When tongue tie is the source of feeding difficulty, the earlier it can be corrected, the better. Many parents notice an almost immediate improvement in their baby’s ability to breastfeed with one study reporting that 80% of infants feeding better within 24 hours of a tongue tie procedure.

Our physicians are all Fellowship Trained and Board Certified Pediatric ENT surgeons who are experts at performing tongue-tie release. The procedure only takes a few minutes and is usually performed in the office using the same advanced equipment we use in the operating room.

Moreover, when you are seen in our office for the evaluation and treatment of tongue-tie, most health insurance plans will cover any necessary procedures.