Infant Tongue Tie Clinic

Why Treat Early? The Challenge of a Newborn baby

Bringing a baby into this world can be one of the greatest things that a human being does. However, it can be a challenging time on so many levels. Feeding a newborn can present a number of challenges. One common cause of breast feeding difficulties is “restricted oral tissue”, or more commonly known as “tongue tie”, or “lip tie”.
Tongue Tie and Breastfeeding Difficulty

It is however a condition that can be rectified effectively using laser surgery combined with an interdisciplinary approach to the problem.
Tongue Tie Release Can Help Breastfeeding

How can a Tongue or Lip Tie Affect Breast Feeding?

During normal function, the tongue and lips work together to create a seal to enable a good latch on the breast. The lip acts rather like a suction cup around the nipple and the tongue pushes upwards on the nipple, creating a suction effect between the tongue and the palate with the nipple in between them. This suction effect helps the baby to hold onto the nipple and compresses the nipple, elongating it back towards the throat. Milk is expressed from the breast partly due a mechanical effect and partly due to a hormonal effect. It is the mechanics of breast feeding which are affected by restricted oral tissues.

Specific Symptoms During Breast Feeding Common symptoms of a restrictive tongue/lip include:

• poor ability to latch or inability to stay latched
• sliding off the nipple-falling asleep at the breast
• regular clicking during a feed-poor weight gain
• maternal nipple pain or damage (mastitis, cracks and bleeding)
• compromised maternal milk supply
• dribbling milk at the breast or bottle
• digestive issues such as increased gassiness or reflux-aerophagia (swallowing air during feeding)
• poor control of the milk during swallowing (lack of coordination)

mYofocUs Infant Tongue and Lip Tie Clinic – a step by step process

1. Preparation for your consultation

We will send you some important documents with lots of information to prepare you for your consultation. Depending on what is needed, several appointments may be necessary before we see you. Eg: with a lactation consultant, or with a body worker (chiropractor / osteopath / physiotherapist)

2. The consultation

Athrough consultation is essential for effective diagnosis and for educating our guests in how to best care for the infants in the post-operative period. Usually this consultation will be a joint consultation with our dentist and lactation consultant or mid-wife

3. The procedure

Laser tongue and lip tie surgery is quick and effective. Immediately post-operatively our lactation consultant or mid-wife will be there to assist with the feeding and after-care

4. The care call

We will make an appointment with you to call you 1-2 days later so we can assist you in whatever way is necessary

5. The 1 week review

Our protocol involves you returning to our clinic 1 week later for a review appointment with one of our team. This helps to ensure that everything is going according to plan

6. Continued phone checks

Followed by a 2 month review via email. If all is going well, we don’t need to see you again

 

– Functional Oral Health from Birth to Beyond

If you would like more information, please see our tongue tie FAQ For further information, or, if you believe you, your infant, or child may have a tongue-tie or lip-tie, please call us on 03 9329 2929 to arrange a consultation.