Tongue Tie Consultations

WARRAGUL based, serving Gippsland and South East Melbourne

The presence of a lingual frenulum connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth is a normal anatomical structure. There is a wide spectrum of visual appearance and if prominent, this may be labelled as a ‘tongue tie’ during the neonatal period. The medical term of ‘ankyloglossia’ refers to restricted movement of the tongue with functional limitation, which can impact infant feeding. 

Unfortunately this can be another confusing area of infant care, as there is a wide and divisive spectrum of opinions regarding the functional impact of tongue tie, with a huge range of services offering management for tongue tie. Information on the internet and social media can be conflicting and overwhelming.

There has been a significant increase in diagnosis and intervention, with concerns about over-diagnosis raised in feature pieces in The Age, ABC and  New York Times. Often the presenting complaints around perceived pain, fussy behaviour and sleep are not clearly linked to the tongue tie, adding to the complexity of the issue.

I have been providing Tongue Tie assessment and management as part of my ‘Mum and Bub’ consultations since mid 2023. I have performed over 40 scissor release procedures through a shared decision making process, and counselled many more who haven’t required the procedure. Unlikely many providers, I have had systems in place, to actively follow up many of my patients within an audit. This demonstrates that it is rarely, if ever, “just a snip”" and requires a holistic exploration of the pregnancy, birth and feeding history, alongside infant behaviours and family supports.

The audit has helped me improve my counselling and case selection to help determine which infants will benefit from tie release. It has highlighted the need for feeding assistance alongside any intervention, and additional support in the the follow up period. The findings make me even more concerned about purely procedural services which do not explore the broader issues which may be impacting on infant behaviours (which may be misdiagnosed as ‘tongue tie’), nor provide ongoing support for families. I work in collaboration with other local lactation consultants, MCHN, paediatricians and allied health to look beyond the mouth, and to provide comprehensive care of the entire family unit.

My fee structure includes one bulk billed* phone follow up appointment to check progress, as I am always interested in your progress and want to provide an opportunity for further questions. There is a reduced out of pocket costs for face to face review consultations. You will always have the option to return to your usual care providers however if you wish for more tailored postnatal care in the first 12 months I welcome further review.

**BB where the medicare card is available, and if lasting <30 minutes

Please see my Pre-Consultation and fees information here

and if really interested in the latest guidelines see the following. Unfortunately no guidelines exist for infants who are not breastfed.