At Young Pediatrics, we encourage breast feeding and want to support you and your baby in every way we can. There are several factors that can affect early breast feeding. Having a tight lingual frenulum (tongue tie) is just one of them.
• Does my baby have a tongue tie?
◦ Tongue ties, or tight lingual frenulum, are common and often do not interfere with feeding or speech.
◦ If you’re unsure, ask one of our providers and we are happy to examine your baby and talk through this with you.
• Does it need to be clipped?
◦ Many tight frenula do not need any intervention.
◦ The most common reason to clip the frenulum (frenotomy) is to aid in breastfeeding. Sometimes, a tight lingual frenulum can cause a painful latch and/or difficulty breastfeeding.
◦ It is possible that a tongue tie can also contribute to speech difficulties, but the data on this is unclear, so unless the frenulum is very tight, we do not clip for this reason alone.
• Who does the frenotomy and Where is it done?
◦ Our providers do it right in the office for newborns and young infants.
◦ If we determine that your baby would benefit from a tongue clipping and you would like to proceed, you will schedule an appointment with us to have the procedure done.
◦ It is a safe and quick procedure, and no anesthesia is necessary.
• What about Lip Ties and other Frenulum?
◦ You have multiple frenula in your mouth. Each one connects different structures inside your mouth (like your upper lip and upper gum). The only frenulum that providers currently recommend cutting due to breastfeeding issues is the lingual frenulum under the tongue. (excerpt from Cleveland Clinic site)
• More Info: Check out this Cleveland Clinic site.
◦ https://my.clevelandclinic.org...