“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”
~ Mary Anne Radmacher
Yesterday I smiled at a a green-eyed blonde in gorgeous leather riding boots while wiping a Charlie Chaplin-style snot mustache from Micah’s lip. Wait! I forgot to tell you the best part: I wiped the snot blob with my sleeve. Oh yes, I am one of THOSE moms. The one who does NOT have a bandaid, wet wipe or [insert responsible mom paraphernalia] when zombie ducks attack. The one who can’t even get fake ducks all in a row and is still getting the hang of this mothering thing.
If you are feeling this way about breastfeeding, read on. Yesterday we covered why tongue and lip ties are often sources of misery like colic, reflux, low milk supply, early weaning, tooth decay, frequent night wakings and gapped teeth. Today I’m going to show you how to make an at-home diagnosis, get a consult with the leading expert in the U.S. for FREE, and seek out treatment options. What you learn could be the vital piece of information someone around you needs to help them on their journey or relieve regret and guilt when things don’t go as planned. As Joy shared yesterday, understanding ties can be a very powerful thing:
My son was born almost 8 months ago… I FOUGHT with everything I had to BF him….I cried, I searched the internet, I prayed, I talked to friends, lactation consultants and finally gave up and have been EP’ing [exclusively pumping] since 4 1/2 months… your article popped up in my feed this am and I clicked on it thinking it would tell me that I needed to pump more and eat this and eat that blah blah blah… MY SON IS LIP TIED!!!! and NOONE caught it!!! (%&#(&#$(&%(%$ is all I have to say right now… the guilt I felt was killing me… I am sure when I wake up tomorrow I will be relieved beyond words that it wasn’t about me as a mother or my milk supply… (emphasis mine)
Let’s get started, shall we?
Step One: Make An Informal Diagnosis
For lip ties, look for a band of tissue that connects the gums to the lip. The photos below depict ties of varying degrees, with the least severe on the left and most severe on the right. Though many complications can arise, the main ones that result from lip ties are:
- Gapped teeth that need to be corrected with braces
- Tooth decay on the top four teeth because food/milk residue gets caught up there
- Nursing problems because the lip cannot flange out to get proper suction.
For a more complete list of symptoms, click here.
-
Photo courtesy of Dr. Kotlow
Feeling a little overwhelmed? Take a deep breath and . . . . EXHALE. Now, I have good news for you: Early intervention resolves all of these problems and it’s easy to make an informal diagnosis for your baby with this pictorial guide. If you think there might be an issue check out my lip tie Q&A for more photos and answers to commonly asked questions.
Diagnosing tongue-ties can be a bit more tricky. Sometimes the tie is obvious, like when the membrane is visible or the tongue makes a cupped/heart shape when lifted (this happens because the center of the tongue is anchored by the tie, so the only parts free to move are the sides). Other times, like in the bottom right photo, the tie is hiding underneath the mouth floor.
Ready to check your baby for a tie? Great! Here is a step-by-step exam guide from lactation consultant Catherine Genna. And here’s a video in which Dr. Kotlow (considered the foremost expert in the U.S. on tongue/lip ties) demonstrates how to get a sneaky posterior tie to reveal itself:
Step 2: Get a FREE Email Consult From the Leading Tongue/Lip Tie Specialist in the U.S.
It’s easy! Just snap a photo of the area you are concerned about and send it via email to Dr. Lawrence Kotlow for a free consult. He is very good about answering emails quickly. 
Step 3: Evalutate Treatment Options
Laser Revision - An erbium laser is able to effectively “vaporize” the extra tissue without any instruments actually coming in contact with the mouth. Babies usually feel little or no discomfort throughout the process (though they may protest at being swaddled – a safety measure to keep them still), and there is very little bleeding. Babies are encouraged to nurse immediately following the procedure and healing is very quick.
The photo on the right was taken 30 minutes after my son had the laser revision done by Dr. Kotlow (the quickie update I posted that morning is here). The rest of the day was spent strolling through Essex Village in Connecticut with my snuggly boy in the Boba. A great experience overall.
Unfortunately, few doctors/dentists currently use laser instruments so travel is often required. Here is the list of tongue-tie specialists currently using lasers (if you know of someone I’ve missed please let me know!)
- Lawrence Kotlow, DDS, PC – Albany, New York
- Hugh Oser, DDS – Keller, Texas
- Stacy Cole, DDS (Holistic Dentistry) – Fort Worth, Texas
- Dr. James Jesse is a friend of Dr. Kotlow’s that has been recommended by several mamas. He is in San Bernadino, California.
- Lindsey from Crunchy Savings went to Dr. Notestine in Dayton Ohio
- Dr. Martin Kaplan of Kid Care Dental in Stoughton, MA. was trained by Dr. Kotlow
Note: So you don’t miss it I am adding this comment from Mellanie Sheppard (who discovered Micah’s tie): “Recovery is not easy for every baby. For many babies, they first 24 hours can be pretty rough – very fussy and not wanting to nurse. This probably hinges on how thick/fibrous/deep the tie runs. Also, it is not a miracle cure. Some babies will need suck training afterwards (sometimes with an occupational therapist or speech therapist). Most babies will benefit from CST (cranio-sacral therapy) or chiropractic support afterwards. A tongue that is restricted is creating the wrong “pull” on the muscles in the floor of the mouth, which can in turn lead to subtle misalignment in the jaw, neck, etc.”
Scissor Method – Scissors cannot penetrate as deeply as lasers and do not remove the extra tissue, but if travel is out of the question seek out a highly qualified professional in your area – usually an ear/nose/throat doc or a pediatric dentist – to do the scissor method. Then follow through with the stretching exercises described in the post-op section of this article. Most likely you will not receive instructions to do this but it is absolutely critical to the success of the procedure.
Micah first procedure was a frenectomy using scissors at 5 months. We were not given any instruction for post-op care and the tie grew back together with scar tissue on top, which is why we took him to Dr. Kotlow at 8 months.
Note: Mellanie’s statement about the above procedure applies here, too.
Other Beneficial Therapies – Cranio-sacral therapy and chiropractic care are both excellent complementary treatments to tongue/lip tie revision.
Breastfeeding a Tongue-Tied Baby – If for whatever reason neither procedures are available here are some tips on breastfeeding a tongue-tied baby
Well, that’s it.
If you have questions, insights or doctor recommendations please share them in the comments!
More breastfeeding support:
- Read Part 1: Why Our Mothers Shouldn’t Have Listened To Theirs
- Mellanie Sheppard, For Babies Sake (Dallas/Fort Worth)
- Kathy O’Brien, 4 Hearts Services (Dallas/Fort Worth)
Photo credit: Lamour Michelle Photogray
about the author: Heather
related posts
» Breastfeeding » How To Spot Tongue/Lip Ties &...
124 Responses to How To Spot Tongue/Lip Ties & Get FREE Expert Advice
Leave a Reply
« Why Our Mothers Shouldn’t Have Listened To Theirs Stocking The Dream Kitchen »
Okay, here’s my question. My son is almost 3 was tongue-tied. I had the scissor method done when he was 2 months old (I didn’t even know there were other options). But, now, at almost 3 (in April), he’s a little speech delayed. No one but my husband and myself can understand him. He says a lot, saying more every day. Definitely no hearing problems. But I’m wondering if the procedure wasn’t done real well, and now he’s having speech problems because of it. Thoughts?
Rebekkah Smith´s last [type] ..Recipe: Yummy Hot Chocolate
Not that I am an expert, but I’m thinking it might be one of two things. First, if you were not instructed in proper post-op care the tie could have grown back together/formed scar tissue. OR it could have a sneaky posterior element that was not separated the first time. Or it could be neither of those – if it were me I would email Dr. K and see what he says
Hi Rebekkah,
My son was born tongue-tied, but they did not find it right away because he was a premature twin and they were checking on other things (I do not blame them at all. They were great.) Since it was not discovered right away, we were sent to an ENT when he was around 2 months old. They said that he would have to be sedated and have it cut. Because he was premature, he also had some breathing problems so I did not feel comfortable sedating him. They wanted us to come back in a year. Long story short, we moved out of state so that didn’t happen. My son also had speech delays. When he was around 3 years old, I started doing tongue exercises with him. If you make them fun, they will do them. Whatever you can do to make them improve the tongue muscle. Have them go up and down, front and back, side to side, touch the top lip, touch the bottom lip. Making funny faces helps. I have been doing this on and off for a couple years now and I can really tell a difference. It didn’t happen overnight, but it did improve drastically over time. Hope this helps. – Tracy
Tracy´s last [type] ..Today
Thank you for your blogs on this. My daughter’s lip tie was identified when she was 22 months old at her first visit to the dentist. I pumped exclusively for her first year of life after physical and emotional pain over what I perceived as my failure. Your blog was one of the sources that helped me understand that her lip tie probably was probably a huge factor in her poor latch. I am still so heartbroken about this. I hope that more professionals like Dr. Kotlow, Dr. Oser, Dr. Cindy Haggerton, and Kathy O’Brien will spread the word on tongue and lip tie and help struggling breastfeeding mothers.
My 3 1/2 year seems to have a class IV lip tie. I haven’t had it looked at yet because I keep telling myself that it is a cosmetic problem (gap between teeth). I hate the thought of subjecting her to a procedure at this age. You had mentioned in a previous post that Katie also has a lip tie. I was wondering if she has had that corrected and what was your experience with that?
What’s the risk for a less severe lip tie and tongue tie? My kid is 2 years old and he still breastfeeds. A lot. He eats very little (maybe this is from the ties too). He had severe reflux when he was little.
Can I still do something? Is it necessary now, at his age? What will happen to him if I let him be? Will he have speech problems? Teeth problems? Eating problems? Does the procedure require total anaesthesia for his age?
I am from Europe and here I don’t know any specialists in this procedure.
My 3 year old has Class IV lip tie, big gap between her front teeth & decay on her 4 front teeth which we are trying to remineralize. We faced so many challenges breastfeeding but still managed to make it to almost 3 years. Would it still be beneficial to have her lip tie lasered if she’s not a baby anymore and done breastfeeding?
Thanks so much for sharing this vital information! The more awareness there is, the more babies who can be helped. The only thing I would add is that the recovery is not easy for every baby. For many babies, they first 24 hours can be pretty rough – very fussy and not wanting to nurse. This probably hinges on how thick/fibrous/deep the tie runs. Also, it is not a miracle cure. Some babies will need suck training afterwards (sometimes with an occupational therapist or speech therapist). Most babies will benefit from CST (cranio-sacral therapy) or chiropractic support afterwards. A tongue that is restricted is creating the wrong “pull” on the muscles in the floor of the mouth, which can in turn lead to subtle misalignment in the jaw, neck, etc.
Just wanted to tell your DFW friends that there is a CST clinic at UNT Health Science Center (aka “TCOM”) in Fort Worth near the cultural district. They take insurance, so I was able to go for just my regular copay, versus paying $200+ out of pocket then reimbursed as I found with other places. Website is http://www.hsc.unt.edu/sites/osteopathicmanipulativemedicine/. I saw Dr. Tham who specializes in pre-natal, post-natal, and newborn care.
Just knowing now that the crazy night nursing, flat white nipples after nursing, etc. was LIP TIE and not my huge failure (as all around me said) is an enormous, huge thing! Bless you for sharing this. More mamas & babies will have an easier time of it and get more much needed sleep!
Just knowing now that the crazy night nursing, flat white nipples after nursing, etc. was LIP TIE and not my huge failure (as all around me said) is an enormous, huge thing! Bless you for sharing this. More mamas & babies will have an easier time of it and get more much needed sleep!
I’m really curious about your opinion on older little ones with this issue. My daughter has a lip tie too! She has a little gap between her teeth, which led me to notice the lip tie a few weeks ago thanks to your other posts about this back when Micah had his procedure.
She’s almost 2 1/2, and not nursing much now…it never actually interfered with her nursing…and she’s quite the talker! Just wondering what the benefit would be of having something done at this point. And how is this so prevalent?? Genetics?? (Neither my hubby or I have it, but both our kids do…guess I have a new thing to pray for for the third one!)
So thrilled to see this! My six-week-old had upper lip tie and tongue tie. It was so bad that I cried every time she nursed, and I knew something was wrong since it was nothing like breastfeeding my first baby. I was bruised and bleeding for about two weeks before we were told to take her to a local pediatric dentist. I’ve shared this post on my FB page and will link to it when I blog about my experience. Thanks so much, Heather!
So thrilled to see this! My six-week-old had upper lip tie and tongue tie. It was so bad that I cried every time she nursed, and I knew something was wrong since it was nothing like breastfeeding my first baby. I was bruised and bleeding for about two weeks before we were told to take her to a local pediatric dentist. I’ve shared this post on my FB page and will link to it when I blog about my experience. Thanks so much, Heather!
Heather, thank you so much! A few weeks ago my husband made the comment that unlike our first three our little guy was never “milk drunk”. At the time I thought of it and it seemed strange, but didn’t think much of it. Then when you mentioned the waking every 1 or 2 hours at night even at 5 months (little guy is 7 months and his “long” stretch went from about 5 hours at 3 months to 2 hours. After that he wakes about every 30 min). My husband is gone right now but when he gets home I want him to look to. His lip is definitely tied but I need help looking at the tongue. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! This never even occured to me since he is gaining weight and it doesn’t hurt when he nurses but looking at his lip, it looks just like the class III
Just went to dr appt who said it doesn’t effect eating and no test for tounge tie only speech. Referred to throat and neck specialist. Continue to be disappointed by ” m.d.”
I had my little guys tongue clipped at 4 months and haven’t been able to get him to latch ever since (he’s 7 months now).
I had my little guys tongue clipped at 4 months and haven’t been able to get him to latch ever since (he’s 7 months now).
thank you so much for this post….i found you through NourishMD, and I don’t know why i haven’t seen this sooner…..i just sent a pic of my 22mo. old to Dr. Kotlow and am hopeful he can help….i never realized all those symptoms go together….sad to say i’m a nurse, natural childbirth teacher and have been nursing for 22 months and didn’t realize thats what we’re dealing with!
thank you so much for this post….i found you through NourishMD, and I don’t know why i haven’t seen this sooner…..i just sent a pic of my 22mo. old to Dr. Kotlow and am hopeful he can help….i never realized all those symptoms go together….sad to say i’m a nurse, natural childbirth teacher and have been nursing for 22 months and didn’t realize thats what we’re dealing with!
TreaSon Holdings – The sleep thing was a huge discovery for me. It wasn’t until my son was diagnosed that we checked my daughter – totally explained why she woke so frequently until she was about 2. On the flipside, my son was sleeping so well at 12 months I almost felt guilty, like I was getting away with something!
I wish I’d followed my intuition as early as you did, Creative Christian Mama! I had the same sense about my son not nursing nearly as well as my daughter but I just kept making excuses. So glad you followed through and got it corrected!
Kari R. SaintLouis – Yeah, unfortunately most doctors are pretty uneducated about this. There ARE studies published in peer reviewed journals, but it’s just not common knowledge yet. A pediatric dentist might be more open to the idea.
Melanie Riggs Lowe – I am sooo sorry to hear that. Hugs to you, mama <3
Thanks!! I’ve been EPing but not sure how much longer I’ll last. I still don’t regret getting him clipped though.
What does 50% tongue tie mean?
We scheduled the procedure for my daughter next week! Thank you so much! I’m looking forward to relieving my chronic mastitis!
Alison´s last [type] ..$17
Kari R. SaintLouis – We classify them differently in the U.S. so I’m not really sure.
My husband and I took our 3 month old to Dr. Oser to get the lip tie done this past Friday because he had a stage IV tie. When Dr. Oser looked at it, he said we needed to do that lip tie also. It was one of the hidden ones that we couldn’t tell how bad it was until after the procedure. He said the tongue tie was very deep and was pretty bad. I am glad we did both!
The first few hours we were able to go back to our chiropractic office and get laser tissue procedure done which is suppose to help his healing. He took a really good nap. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to eat right away but I don’t blame him. It was a foreign place and he was just swaddled for 15 mins (he hates being swaddled). But the next couple of feedings I could definitely feel a difference. The past 2 nights he has slept 7-8 hours when before he was waking up every 3-4 hours to eat.
We are so glad we did it! We would highly recommend Dr. Oser’s office! I really hope this blog post spreads and helps a lot of mothers!
That is so wonderful to hear!
[...] making warm, chewy pecan sandies of course! A lot of what passes for stainless steel these has a lot less nickel (which protects [...]
Heather,
Thank you so much for this post. It has been a whole-lotta-insightful for me as a mama.
We have consulted with Dr. Kotlow and with the pediatric dentist in town regarding having a labial frenectomy (and possibly lingual frenectomy) done. Dr. Kotlow classifeed my son’s lip tie as Class IV after seeing pictures of my son’s mouth. Pediatric dentist we visited said our son’s mouth looked “normal for babies his age”. Our dentist in town doesn’t want to do it because she is of the belief that frenectomies can cause permanent scar tissue and a permanent diastema between the teeth. This is very common thinking in dentistry and orthodontics, it appears. I have yet to consult with Dr. Kotlow about this particular concern by other dentists, but it is quoted here, “It’s important to note that a frenectomy should not be done during braces treatment as it is believed that the scar tissue formed may prevent the teeth from moving together, thus creating a permanent gap between the two front teeth.” from this website: http://www.oralanswers.com/2011/01/labial-frenectomy-necessary-braces/. This is obviously where the pediatric dentist/ orthodontist we visited fell. I’m sure you have heard this perspective, so how did you get past it? Do you think their research is only in reference to frenectomies done with knives? I’m ready to hop on a plane and have Dr. Kotlow do the procedure, but hubby needs more convincing. Thoughts from your journey are much appreciated!
Hi Kristen! I’m sorry it has taken me so long to reply. Yes, I do think their research has to be referring to knives. Lasers leave virtually no scar tissue and can actually clear out that area so teeth can grow together. I highly recommend that your hubby schedule a phone consult with Dr. K if he is skeptical. Dr. K knows his stuff
Thanks so much, Heather! I’ve seen Dr. Brian Palmer’s literature showing diastemas spontaneously closing on their own after a frenectomy done with knives (http://www.brianpalmerdds.com/pdf/frenum_pdf.pdf, pp 53-55, e.t.c.) and in conjunction with speech therapy. I can only imagine with lasers it is even more plausible for the space to close on its own and for minimal scar tissue to be blocking the way for the space to close. The fact that speech therapy needed to be done with this patient who had lip tie is an encouragement to me even of itself to have my son’s maxillary frenum modified to avoid speech issues, among other possible issues like decay.
Thank you again for sharing your story.
Thank you so much for sharing this. All the pieces came together and I almost wanted to cry. I checked my 5 year old and he has a severe lip tie that is causing a huge gap between his front teeth. All the struggles I had breastfeeding him. He was checked for a tongue tie, but never for a lip tie. His Dad also has one and the resulting gap between his front teeth. I have found a dentist who does the laser procedure locally (I am in Vancouver BC, Canada) and am taking my son in for a consult next week. Thank you for raising awareness of this.
Oh Melody, I am so glad you found this post! Yay that you found a dentist with a laser!
Hi melody
Who did the revision for you in Vancouver. I’m in Regina and would love to find an option in Canada if possible. Thank you!
Mary
Dr. Van As at Canyon Dental Centre in North Vancouver
It makes me so mad to read this!!!! Not at you. LOL My daughter is now 18 months old and has a lip tie. I noticed it a long time ago but the dr said it was nothing to worry about. I read more about it later then called a few different dentists and pediatric orthopedics and were told not to have it clipped due to scar tissue causing problems with the teeth later on. My little girl has had weight gain issues and I’ve had to take her in for regular weight checks. I’ve been fighting to keep her exclusively breastfed without giving formula or nasty pediasure like the dr wanted me to. I had a hard time breastfeeding and had the flat white nipples that burned so badly and bled and were so cracked for the first few months. I also had supply issues and took herbs and was sure to eat a nourishing diet to keep it up. (With my son, I had produced of milk) And all this time it WAS her lip tie that is the problem. Like I thought. And it should of been fixed.
We did work through the pain and I’m still nursing her to this day and she never did get a drop of formula. But things would of been so much easier for us both if I would of read this sooner. And maybe she would be bigger. Thanks for getting the word out!
I want to cry. I knew about tongue tie from ready the LLL book before my son was born, and noticed in the delivery room. We had trouble latching, as expected, an he had his tongue clipped on his second day of life. Still, even with lactation consultants, we couldn’t get him to latch. Part of the problem was that he would bite down, but also he wouldn’t flip his upper lip out. We had to manually flip it was time. I ended up pumping for four and a half months before getting mastitis and loosing my supply. Today, at 7.5 months I was looking at his upper teeth because one just popped through, and I noticed that his lip seemed more attached than I thought it should be. Sure enough, I looked at some pictures and I’m pretty sure he has lip tie. I can’t believe the lactation consultants missed it, especially when he constantly couldn’t flip his lip out to nurse (even on the bottle — same thing, couldn’t flip his lip out). I’m so sad. I wish I would have known, we could have at it clipped when we got his tongue clipped. Now the poor kiddo might have to have general anesthesia to have it done if it is needed. The word really needs to be spread to the lactation community about this issue, as lip tie isn’t as well known as tongue tie.
Oh, my heart aches for you! Big hugs to you, though, for seeking out the help of a LC and pumping for as long as you did. <3
[...] This is very interesting to me. Micah was an avid thumb sucker until he had surgery to correct his tongue tie – in fact the pic I shared right before the surgery is one of him sucking his thumb! From that [...]
[...] course, this is more than just theory to me. Due to an undiagnosed lip tie, my daughter Katie experienced a breast milk version of “bottle rot” on her top four [...]
[...] Read Part 2: How To Spot Tongue/Lip Ties & Get FREE Expert Advice [...]
I have been tongue tied all my life, I’m 28. My mom was told “if it doesn’t mess with her speech, then it isn’t an issue.” I wish you were around for her! She was talked out of having it cut and told just to wait. I have dental issue, my mom couldn’t nurse and it could have been avoided from the get go. Mine isn’t the sort of thing you glance over, its really very obvious. An orthodontist told me I could take care of it at home with scissors if I wanted, but when I spoke to a specialist I was told that I would need to have it done professionally. I have a large vein in mine and I was told it was like to heal back together if done incorrectly and that I would have to spend some time relearning to speak. If your itty bitty has a tongue tie, just take care of it before they get older!
[...] when Katie developed tooth decay (due to an undiagnosed lip tie) he was more than a little skeptical about curing it with nutrition. He gave the green light [...]
I am so glad I found this page! My daughter, almost 5 months has been very fussy as the breast lately and has only been gaining about 1.5 oz a week. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and It led me to your page. My daughter is lip-tied, I want to take her pedi, but to say the least I’m not very happy with her. I’m so lost on where to start, but glad to know there is an answer and my daughter isn’t having a nursing strike for no reason!
Shelby, I’m so glad you found the info you needed! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Kotlow – he is sooo helpful and may be able to recommend someone nearby who can correct the tie.
All the puzzle pieces just fell into place with this post! My 3.5 year old daughter’s decay is NOT MY FAULT! And my 5 month old son now has an appt. in Fort Worth to get his lip tie taken care of. Wow… If he developed decay down the road like my daughter I may just loose my mind. THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS! Now to keep remineralizing my daughter’s teeth
I read all the comments and saw lot’s of questions pertaining to “should one have an older child’s lip tie corrected”? I have the same question. When she’s older (5-6 area). I wonder if I should have hers done too to prevent a space between her teeth… Hmm.
So glad you found this post helpful, Christina! Regarding whether older kids should have lip ties corrected, I think it depends on how severe it is (like whether it is causing a gap). My daughters gap eventually disappeared and we are not having it corrected, but when you take your son in you might want to have Dr. C look at your daughter and give an opinion
That’s a great idea Heather! I will ask Dr. Cole to peek. Thank you for telling me what you did in the same situation
I’m very curious… How did you finally find out that both your babies have lip ties? Your own research or a professional or ? There’s not a whole lot of information out there!
I sensed something was off about my son’s nursing from the moment he first latched but brushed it off. By the time he was five months old, though, things were getting really bad. He woke every hour to two hours to feed because he couldn’t get enough nourishment for his growing body – I was so sleep deprived I ended up washing his clothes with the hangers still on! My friend suggested I contact Mellanie of For Babies Sake, so I did. She came out to my house and identified the tongue within seconds of the exam. Some ties are very sneaky so no one caught it at his birth, so needless to say I LOVE Mellanie and am so very grateful that she helped us figure things out AND found the only dentist who was qualified to correct the problem at that time (many more are now doing the procedure thanks to her raising awareness about tongue and lip ties!)
Wow! That must have been so hard for you!! Hugs! The worst I’ve done is use my daughters toothbrush so far
Hehe! Thank you so much for talking this through with me 
I think I only have one more question for you 
My scenario is this… My daughter (3.5 years) has tooth decay that I believe was caused by her un-diagnosed lip tie. We are working to remineralize them. My son (5 months) has a very obvious lip tie. I had some issues breast feeding him in the beginning, but now we are completely fine. If this were your scenario… Would you go ahead and have his lip tie laser cut just to make sure he didn’t develop the same decay? Or would you let it go because all is well and he could be different and not develop any decay? I nursed my daughter to 2.5 years and suspect I may nurse my son longer as I don’t plan on having any more pregnancies. My husband is uncertain if we should do this procedure. Of course neither one of us want our baby boy to be put through any unnecessary pain. Even the receptionist at Dr. Cole’s office asked why I wanted to have this done if we weren’t experiencing any problems. My only answer is that I don’t want his teeth to decay like my daughters has…
Christina, I think it is a great idea to have his lip tie revised earlier rather than later, even if it’s not causing problems nursing. First, the very thick frenulum can cause problems with spacing between the front teeth, which can lead to needing braces later. Second … I had my lip tie revised as an adult in my early 30s because the constant tugging from the frenulum was actually pulling hard enough to cause my gum tissue to recede. Even after the procedure, I ultimately developed several cavities along the gum line in my front teeth. Anything you can do to prevent that for your children would be a huge blessing.
I really appreciate that Ginger
We have already canceled his appointment though… It just seemed off to us to do such a drastic procedure since we aren’t having any issues (He’s in the 90th percentile on weight and 95th on height, so he is obviously getting enough milk!). We feel very blessed to have all of this information at hand though in case something does arise we will know what to do. I’m hoping that our change of diet will give him a head start to nice strong healthy teeth 
http://www.pdaoflincoln.com/
To add to your article, we had my son’s lip- and tongue-ties revised by laser at Pediatric Dental Arts, PC by Dr Melissa Sveen. She was extremely helpful, after a frustrating search to find someone local who could handle a non-classic tongue tie. So here’s another resource for people looking.
Dr. Greg Nostestine (http://smiles4udayton.com/) uses laser as well. I found him to be incredibly professional and very he\lpful.
Hannah´s last [type] ..Hannabert’s Backpack
I am always keenly interested in info about tongue and lip ties. From my visual diagnosis my 2 year old daughter definitely has both and from what I can tell they are both Grade III. HOWEVER, I cannot for the life of me figure that it is causing ANY issues. I had absolutely no problems breastfeeding, not even slightly sore nipples (not bragging I was expecting at least SOME issues). At her 10 day post natal check up she was already 4 oz past her birth weight and the midwife exclaimed that I had very rich milk (thanks WAPF diet!) and that she was obviously getting plenty to eat. No colic, no reflux, no frontal tooth decay and so far no speech or eating issues. Is it possible that I’m overlooking some other issue or can a little one have a totally symptom free tongue and lip tie?
Cont. Sorry kiddo hit enter….
Anyway. not really searching for a real answer, just wondering if anyone else’s LO had a symptom free tongue/lip tie.
P.S. Love your blog!
Hi Genevieve! A huge factor in whether lip/tongue ties cause problems is how stretchy the connective tissue is. I’m guessing here, but maybe if it is really stretchy it is possible to not experience any negative effects. Either way, I’m glad your daughter hasn’t had any issues with it. Though I can’t say this for certain I think Dr. K would say there’s no reason to consider a correction based on what you’ve described
Thank Heather! I don’t want to look for problems but sometimes the Mom Brain goes into overdrive
Her doc said it wasn’t an issue since we haven’t had any problems but hearing so many heart breaking stories makes me double check all the evidence. Will continue to not worry 
Thanks again!
Lol, I **so** get this. Sometimes I get so many worried emails about a particular subject that I start to worry that I’m not worried!
Hello! I wanted to let everyone know of some more dentists in Western Canada who are using lasers to perform lip and tongue tie revisions. I work with two dentists (Dr. Chris Lan and Dr. Peter Lam) who have both been helping babies and their moms breastfeed successfully. It has been so rewarding to know we can offer help to these families whose only option before was to fly all the way to New York City for this procedure.
Please visit this link for more information on Dr. Lan and Dr. Lam, and also several other laser-certified dentists in Western Canada: http://www.breastfeedingaction.ca/index.php/resources
Christy
THANK YOU, Christy!
Thanks for posting this again!!
I had so much trouble breastfeeding my now 3 year old daughter. I chalked it all up to her food allergies and the death of my Mother right before she was born, I went through a bad PP psychosis. But this has opened my eyes to see that my daughter’s lip tie may have been just another contributing factor. At about 4-5 months of BF with serious difficulty, I just gave up. I feel such guilt about it.
My poor daughter’s front, top teeth are stained, though the dentists have told us it’s from old iron supplementing, not decay. But maybe the iron only stained those top front teeth because of the lip tie? Her bottom teeth are so pretty and pearly white!
She has no gap yet, but I may consult the recommended Dr. anyway!
Thanks again for another great, ultra helpful post!!!!
My 2 year does not seem to have these issues but if we ever have any more children, I’ll know what to look for much earlier!
Thank you!!
I stumbled upon this post while looking for a recipe and it caught my attention because…
My son was pretty severely tongue tied and it caused major breastfeeding issues right from the start (extreme pain for me). Luckily one of the LCs at the hospital noticed it so we were able to get it taken care of when he was a week old (scissor method but it hasn’t grown back). He’s now 20 months, still breastfeeding, we’ve never had any issues, and last week we JUST noticed that he is also lip tied, probably class III or IV – it goes all the way to his teeth. I can’t believe we never noticed before but I’m also kind of not surprised because he locks that mouth down like a maximum security prison anytime I try to look in at his teeth, brush them, etc..
Anyway, his front teeth were gapped when they first came in but now that the others have come in too, they’re very normal looking, and obviously it hasn’t caused breastfeeding issues for us. At this point do you think we should look at getting it fixed? I am guessing the procedure is a bit more involved with a strong, squirmy toddler. Your advice would be much appreciated
I LOVE your blog by the way
Hi Lindsey! If it were me I’d contact Dr. K and gethis opinion on whether the tie might cause upper tooth decay. Hope that helps!
[...] to nurse a baby throughout the night (he was in bed with me but could not nurse lying down due to a tongue-tie), I can say definitively that getting up to breastfeed throughout the night is FAR more exhausting. [...]
Hello, i have never expirenced this before. but im fairly certain my daughter has this. She is now 22 months old, and was a horrible breast feeder, we had to stop fairly early. i wish someone would have spotted this sooner. Could anyone look at her picture and tell me what you think, so i have some knowledge to go to the dentist with. Im in phoenix, az…
Nikki, I am so sorry to hear your experience with breastfeeding was difficult! If you email a photo of your daughter to Dr. K he will give you a free expert opinion.
[...] [...]
Hi Heather,
Thank you so much for this post. I noticed a pretty severe lip tie in my 10 month old son after looking at the pics you posted. I struggled immensely in the beginning with nursing and continued to have problems with blockages and blisters caused by my son’s shallow latch. Your blog post convinced me to consult with Dr. Kotlow. My husband and I then decided to fly to NY to have the procedure done (we live in San Antonio). It turns out my son was also tongue tied but I was never able to see it myself since my son was way too squirmy to let me have a look. We were very pleased with how things went with Dr. K. The procedure took no time at all: within 10 minutes he was back in my arms. Nursing has improved but I’m still working on his latch a little as he’s so used to the old way. I don’t have any more blisters or blockages and my son seems to enjoy nursing a lot more than before. He now asks to nurse, something he never did before. I’m so happy about that. Did you have to work on your son’s latch at first to “re-train” his muscles?
Anyways, I wanted to thank you. I would never have known about Dr. K if it hadn’t been for this post.
Oh Julie, THANK YOU for leaving this comment! I try really hard not to be annoying about sharing this post too often on Facebook, but I soooooo want to get the message out and am thrilled to know that it found you (or you found it – I’m not sure how to phrase that!). To answer your question, yes I did have to work with my son to re-train his latch after the procedure. I didn’t put a huge amount of effort into it because the procedure made such a huge difference for us and I was happy with the improvement, but it definitely did need some work. Thank you again for stopping by!
Hi both Heather and Julie,
I need to get my daughter’s lip tie revised. she’s now 10 months. When you ladies brought in your children, how does Dr. K get them to lie still? My daughter fights like crazy when I tried to lift her lip to just take a picture. Was it traumatic for the children? Did he use any pain medication on them prior to the surgery? Did he use local anesthesia? Sorry for all my questions!
and thank you Heather for your post on this subject, I just wish I knew about it a lot longer so I don’t need to wait until she’s this old.
I am in CA by the way, does anyone have any experience with any experts here that do the procedure with laser?
Thanks for this great article. Just did a search to see if anyone in Portland (where I live) offers the laser option and I did find this dentist: http://www.tendercaredental.net/services/laser-treatment/.
Dr Wynn in Peoria IL – I don’t have personal experience but know several moms who have had their child’s lip ties revised by him.
Thank you so much for this article! We just got back from Dr. Oser in Keller after discovering (thanks to you!) that my daughter (3.5) and my son (13 months) both had type IV lip ties and my son also had a Type 2 tongue tie. Which explains my sons colic caused by my over supply and my daughters low weight gain – amongst other things. I had hoped to visit Dr. Cole, especially since we do not have a holistic dentist here in Arkansas. Unfortunately, he does not perform the procedure on children over 9 months of age so we chose to visit Dr. Oser. Dr. Oser was very kind and professional. We were not allowed in the room with our children during the procedure. I think I might of spent the extra money going up to Dr. Kotlow if I had known that prior to the appointment. Hearing my children scream in the next room for 15 minutes took years off my life, but the kids seem to care less now, lol. Anyway, I had two questions if you do not mind. Firstly, I remember seeing a link on your blog to a guide to the postop exercises and now I cannot find it anywhere, can you please direct me to that link? Also, my son is experiencing quite a bit of inflammation and discomfort, he acts like he cannot nurse at all anymore. There is little to no suction and he is refusing to nurse from what appears to be frustration or pain. I am afraid that because of his age he might not be able to relearn how to nurse and might wean from this. I still nurse my daughter and I would prefer for him to continue until he is emotionally ready to stop. So I was wondering if you or any of your readers have had any issues with premature weaning after having the procedure and if they had any suggestions on how to help him through this?
I have two kids with special needs and we’ve had many procedures, I would never let a doctor take my chilren out back unless they were under sedation already, that practice in my opinin is highly questionable. You little kiddos should not be in pain or traumatized for 15 mins. w/o momma there to comfort them. I’m so glad our kids are OK now, but for other mommas reading this know you have other options.
And I just re-read my post and wanted to let you know my comments are not directed at you, but at the doctor who allowed such a thing!
I agree Amy. Actually you can be and should be in the room with them the whole time. a Dr. who takes the child out back I would not trust. You must see an orofacial myofunctional therapist for help. Find one on myofuntionaltherapist.com
Hi Heather,
I’ve just realized that I have a lip tie. It’s never been a problem that I know of, but is it something that could potentially cause problems in the future? Or does it only cause problems in children? Any info you happen to have about lip ties in adults would be greatly appreciated.
[...] Mommypotamus: GREAT site with tons of great info. Also, read the comments on her post! [...]
[...] The Mommypotamus How to Spot Tongue/Lip Ties & Get FREE Expert Advice – Another great blog post on lip and tongue tie and how to start looking for it on your children. [...]
[...] those who are wondering whether their little one might be tongue/lip tied, here’s a post on how to diagnose at home and/or get free advice from the top U.S. expert on [...]
I would include Dr Douglas Galen in LA, CA to your list of people who are really good at doing a frenectomy. Also, it is very important to work with a myofucntional therapist immediately afterward unless breastfeeding which should be started asap.
Is local anesthesia used for laser tongue-tie or lip-tie correction?
Yes, I believe it usually is. My son’s procedure took all of five minutes and he was smiling just a few minutes after they brought him back to me. He was a little sore that day but seemed to really enjoy our day trip around Boston!
I thought I chime in here now that we had the procedure done. Thank you so much Heather for putting this information out there, allowed me to diagnose our 11 month old’s lip tie. We live in Northern California so we drove 8 hours down to see Dr. James Jesse in South Cal. I wanted to tell those who might be interested that Dr. James Jesse is an amazing person. Before we even went in, I had exchanged a few emails with him, and in each, he was very detailed in explaining everything and answered ALL my questions. Our appt was on Jan 21st, we were asked to be in the room with the baby. My husband lied down on the chair holding our daughter who was on top of him, I sat next to them and just kind of talked and watched. One of the assistant held her head. The procedure itself was like 30 seconds (she only has lip tie), our daughter screamed at first because she didn’t want to be held tight but midway she stopped and was really quiet. We later found out because we allowed them to film us (so Dr. Jesse can use the video for his lectures), she was watching herself and us on the screen. Our experience was very positive and the Dr. was simply amazing.
However, given our daughter was already 11 months old, so far she hasn’t changed her old latching yet, the site is completely healed and the gap between her teeth already disappeared. I think her brain is still working on transitional to the new found possibilities. She’s still waking up at least 3 times a night!
To answer some questions, yes, a tiny bit of local anesthesia is used. It is injected directly on the tie and around the gum next to the tie. Very minimal. Dr. Jesse said if he doesn’t use it, then it would be too painful for the baby. Our baby was able to nurse 1 hour after the procedure, I didn’t try sooner as I fed her before we went in. She didn’t fuss much about the soreness. But she was NOT sleeping well since 6 months so any night waking wasn’t unusual for her. Hope my experience can provide some insight to those in need of the same thing.
This is why it would be better to take her to se a myofunctional therapist right away after the procedure. Try Carly Schnieder up north or Kathy Winslow. They are good and can help you.
What a BLESSING that I found this. I just thought my baby was small and that she needed to eat every 1.5 hours at night at 5 months (and every other month before this) because she was having a growth spurt. She never would take a paci or a bottle, she drools a ton and always has and gums my nipples! She’s in the 3rd percentile for height and not much more for weight. I have every issue you mentioned including a recent bout with mastitis. For mamas in AZ, I found this dental practice in Tucson that does laser procedures http://www.tucsonsmilesaz.com/ Looks like a trip to Tucson for me! Thank you SO much for this information!
Beth, I am SO GLAD you found this post. Please come back and let us know how things go after the procedure!
[...] Is there a tongue tie or latch issue? Mommypotomus has some great posts on this subject. http://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-diagnose-tongue-and-lip-ties/ http://www.mommypotamus.com/why-our-mothers-shouldnt-have-listened-to-theirs/ [...]
Thank you for this post! I recently discovered our 4 week old daughter has a lip tie, this is our third child and prior had never had any issues with nursing until this time. We are relieved we found an answer. I’ve spoke to Dr.Kotlow, and his staff and looking into either going to him for the procedure or he also mentioned Dr.Margolis out of the Chicago area, here is his page http://www.fredmargolisdds.com/index.php.
I’m curious as to how other parents, infants have progressed with nursing after the procedure? Was it successful? Do they recommend? I’m interested in how the young infants handle the procedure? We are planning to do the procedure over the holiday break at the end of this month she will be 6-7 weeks old. Thank you for your time and insight!!
Marie- did you go ahead with the procedure in Chicago? What was yir experience?
[...] Read more about lip tie HERE [...]
Thank you so much for this information! I believe my 8 month old may have a class III or IV lip tie based on the photos She has never seemed to have an issue breastfeeding though. Is it possible that the tissue is long enough to not be an issue? I am an RN and worked in Postpartum/Antepartum for many years, so I have definitely seen newbies with the tongue-tie, but never even knew about the lip tie! Since she nurses really well and is an otherwise chubby/healthy baby, I am wondering if you think I should still get it checked? I am kind of nervous about the speech delay, front tooth decay. Ironically my 3 year old (who also seems to have a lip tie, but not as pronounced) just got diagnosted with cavities between her two front top teeth. (We are trying the Weston Price diet to help remineralize.) Fortunately I actually live near Albany, NY so maybe a trip to see Dr. Kotlov wouldn’t hurt…It is pretty horrifying that pediatricians/MDs aren’t more educated in this issue. Most of the babies we cared for in the hospital only had their tongue ties diagnosed by our lactation consultants!
[...] to nurse a baby throughout the night (he was in bed with me but could not nurse lying down due to a tongue-tie), I can say definitively that getting up to breastfeed throughout the night is FAR more exhausting. [...]
could a tongue tie cause allergy/food/digestion issues with a 2 yo?!! she did have a lip tie- (that got ripped)- and we have been on gaps for over a year–but she still has digestion issues — i have wondered about her tongue tie (type 3 or the bottom left in your pic type- which is less severe?!!)- could they be tied and does ANYONE do the procedure at that age?!
Hi Lala! I can’t say that I know it **does** have an effect, but theoretically I believe it **might** if it affects how well a child chews.
This group in Alexandria, VA does lip tie laser procedures. http://www.alexandriaoralsurgery.com/
I have a first consult with them next week. I think it’s interesting that so many WAPF families have lip ties. I thought oral issues were the one thing I would not have to worry about being on the WAPF diet! My daughter is 12 months and she had no problems breastfeeding thankfully but I noticed a problem when I saw a gap between her two front teeth. Thank you so much for your posting because it is what made me look. Otherwise I wouldn’t have considered looking under her lip and her pediatricians did not catch it. Thanks again!
I think my son has a posterior/submucosal tongue-tie. All the lc’s have said he’s fine, but he has all the symptoms. I have to pump for him. He will be 6 weeks old on Sunday. I think my 3 1/2 yr old needs a revision, too (for speech)
Who would you recommend that is within driving distance of San Antonio? (So no further than DFW, but preferably closer)?
Hi Christine, there are a few DFW practitioners mentioned in the post that you might consider contacting. I don’t know of anyone close to San Antonio.
Christine- Our LO’s are very close in age, my baby will be 6 weeks on Saturday! We are driving down to Fort Worth (from KC) on Tuesday to see Dr Cole. It took about a week and a half to get in. His staff is the nicest and most professional I’ve come across so far. We’ve been through a lot these first weeks and I’m ready to finally see someone who can help us. I’ll report back after our visit.
Erika,
How did the procedure with Dr. Cole go? My son was born on March 17th so will be 8 weeks on Sunday. I think your LO is very close in age? We live in the KC area too! We’ve been having latch and reflux issues since birth and I am just now realizing it’s probably lip and tongue tie as I have compared his mouth to the pictures. I am thinking of taking him to Ft. Worth for the procedure as well,
Also might look up an orofacial myofuntional therapist on myofunctionaltherapist.com for follow up.
Hi Tiffany,
So sorry I am just now seeing this.
I’m not going to lie the procedure was difficult and I don’t think I was prepared for the aftercare and possible issues. Dr Cole and his staff are absolutely wonderful. We were in the room for the procedure, which those few minutes were awful (hearing your newborn scream like that, I don’t feel it was from pain, but she was definitely scared). She nursed immediately and then we did CST with Dr Cole’s wife. She nursed at the hotel and was very tired so we decided to get on the road. After another nursing session she started to refuse to nurse, so we had to stop in OKC to buy a manual pump to give her milk in a dropper.. She was very swollen, her lip looked like she had injections! And I would say she was in pain at that point. I tried giving Arnica and Hypericum but it was hard and she would spit it up. She finally started nursing again when we reached KS somewhere.
The stretches are critical and they are VERY difficult to do on a sore and cranky baby with a TINY mouth.. She started to have nursing/oral aversions from me trying to do the stretches. I tried doing them while she was asleep which she also started keeping her mouth very taught. Both incisions started to grow back together on about the 3-4 day. Now they have reattached unfortunately and I hear from many other parents that it’s pretty common to have to repeat the procedure twice or even a third time. She also started to become anxious which she was not like that before the procedure. We also continued CST twice a week with our chiro and did adjustments. She was tired of having people messing with her mouth constantly, all of us were very gentle of course.
At this point, I am not willing to put her through the experience again. I know we will have to when she is older. My toddler is not revised and we experienced struggle with reflux, gut issues, oral aversions, tooth decay, choking, eat difficulties, etc it was EXTREMELY hard for her first 2 years of life. So I’ve seen both sides and they have both been difficult for us.
I almost feel my infant’s latch is now worse post procedure especially her tongue. But I’m no longer getting mastitis and she’s gaining well (always has). It has been a catch 22 in our situation. Going back I would probably still have done the procedure, there’s just now way to tell how your infant will react or if it will reattach. I’ve read stories of moms who did everything correctly and it still reattached.
If traveling, I would definitely stay a full day post procedure to catch any blips. Plus everything is expensive and OOP, especially when traveling. The 8 1/2 hour drive each way took us well over 10 1/2 each way. I envy everyone who had everything go smoothly.
Let me know if you need more info.
[...] How To Spot Tongue/Lip Ties & Get FREE Expert Advice [...]
Hi,
Would like to say thank you for posting this information, especially the dentists in our DFW area. I truly appreciate the information.
Angie
[...] those who are wondering whether their little one might be tongue/lip tied, here’s a post on how to diagnose at home and/or get free advice from the top U.S. expert on tongue and lip [...]
How do I email my picture to the Dr.? It doesn’t have the option to post a photo on that page you linked.Thanks so much-Tina
I think I contacted him via his contact form and then emailed the pics when he responded. You could also call their office for the address.
Like so many others, I really appreciate this post!! I came across it while looking for another post of yours and just checked my baby out of curiosity and she has one! I’m glad to be catching it before teeth come in but I *so* wish a pediatrician would have checked. It would have saved both of us from so many months of sleep deprivation and tears! Thank you!!
Oh my gosh- I can’t tell you (like so many others here) how much I appreciate this post. I am in tears.
My son is 8 months old. We gave up nursing at 5 months, after fighting for so long (pumping included, but my body wouldn’t produce for the best pump on the market) he was done. We have had gas, reflux, diagnosed with dairy protein allergy … Then the other day I was looking to see if he was getting more teeth, and thougt, “wow, I don’t remember L’s (my daughter) gums looking like that.”
A few days later this post came across my fb page. I read it, because I like to read and learn. And when I saw those pictures I knew this was what is wrong with my mister. We have a dr appt in the morning; we live in a tiny town with no pediatrician and I am so nervous. Thank you for this post, so I have an idea of what I am talking about. =)
Meghan, I am so sorry you had such a rough time but I am glad you found your answer! I bet you’ll discover that as you share your experience with other mamas who have had trouble with breastfeeding that things might “click” for them, too. Sometimes it just helps to know, don’t you think? Hugs to you, mama!
Yes, it does help.
Like many pps, now I am wondering if we are supposed to correct it or not, since he is no longer nursing. It looks like to me it causes his smile to look different.. I emailed Dr.K tonight, and will send him pictures. Maybe the family dr here (we recently moved 12 hours away from our families, to Nebraska) has seen or heard about lip ties. If not I don’t know where to go from here, so hopefully Dr. K can help.
Thank you again for this pot and the amazing resources.
My son just turned 1 and we just figured out that he has a pretty bad lip tie. I am having a hard time finding anyone to get it taken care of in my area. He can’t even say mama which breaks my heart but he can clearly say daddy and girls. By now he should be able to say mama. I won’t give up until I have found someone that will work with us to get it corrected. We have enough dental issues in our family I don’t think we need to add any more especially since it can be corrected. Thanks for you great post! I have emailed the doctor that you listed, hopefully he can be of some help.
So I happened upon some info about lip tie, and recognized that my daughter definitely has it. Oddly enough, we didn’t struggle much to establish breastfeeding, and now she is 15 months old and has cut down on her daily nursing sessions. What other problems does lip tie cause? If there isn’t much else it can interfere with, then I won’t need to pursue getting it fixed in any way. I’m planning to ask her pediatrician next month when she goes in for her routine check-up.
Jenn´s last [type] ..Don’t Trust Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions
Other than causing a gap between the teeth for some children, I am not aware of any long-term issues associated with lip ties. Dr. Kotlow would know if there are any, though!
I’m an adult in my 30′s with both a lip tie and a tongue tie. The lip tie has caused my front teeth to have a gap that has gotten wider with age. I have had trouble with my teeth and gums all my life. My dentist never mentioned anything about the ties and always scolded me for not taking better care of my teeth. I brush and floss at least twice daily and it’s not enough. Is there any advantage to getting ties fixed as an adult? I’m wondering if I should get it done to prevent future erosion of my teeth and gums or prevent jaw and neck pain. Would I have to re-learn how to speak if I had my tongue tie clipped? I can’t stick my tongue out hardly at all and it has always bothered me. I can talk and eat just fine but I’m wondering if there is some advantage to fixing it now. Thanks for your informative post. Because I have these ties in my mouth I will be sure to watch out for the condition in my children.
Hi Kate, I recommend you contact Dr. Kotlow with your questions. I honestly don’t know the answers, but I bet he will!
I completely agree with Kate. It’s better to get the tie fixed as early as possible. When we did our daughter’s when she was 11 months back in January, the big gap between her teeth closed together within two weeks! It was so ugly before and I can tell that the tie on the lip was pulling the two front teeth outward and upward. I just can’t imagine if when she’s in her teens and she looked like that, I would not be able to forgive myself for not doing anything then when it was such a simple procedure. Her smile is beautiful now.
Thanks for the quick reply! I will have to contact the dr and see what he says. I’m pretty sure this runs in my family as my mom had to have years of speech therapy to learn how to pronounce words and she still can’t say some things correctly. It seems like such a simple thing to fix. I wonder why more doctors don’t know about it…
[...] Here’s my justification: while reading about another moms breastfeeding issues on Facebook I came across an article that make me believe Anders has a lip tie. That matters because a lip tie can cause gassiness and [...]
Oh my gosh, thank you SO MUCH for this article! I’ve read about tongue ties, but no one mentioned a lip tie to me. I have one, my 5 year-old son has one, and so does my 5 month-old baby! My son has terrible tooth decay in his top front teeth, and I’ve been having horrible issues trying to maintain my milk supply. Now I know and can follow up, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!