Tongue Tie and Lip Tie FAQ

Dr. Bobby Ghaheri is an ENT surgeon, who has a clinical interest in helping babies with breastfeeding difficulites. Dr. Ghaheri has written many wonderful articles disucssing tongue-tie, tongue-tie & breastfeeding and tongue-tie laser surger. To learn more about Dr. Ghaheri, please visit his website DrGhaheri.com.

1) Can a tongue tied baby stick her tongue out past her lips?
Absolutely. Just because the tongue has normal motion in one direction doesn't mean that the tongue has normal motion in ALL directions. The most important movement for the tongue during breastfeeding is UP and not OUT, so the normal outward movement of the tongue is as relevant as normal shoulder movement for the purposes of breastfeeding.

2) Can laser revision cause scar tissue?
Yes. Any wound can have scar tissue. The precision of laser and the lack of collateral damage because of focused energy is thought to minimize that scar tissue. Regardless of the technique used, however, if the entire tongue tie is released (including the posterior portion), then there is a higher chance of scar tissue because the wound is deeper and the opposing edges of the release site are closer together, increasing the chances of scarring.

3) Are stretches necessary to prevent reattachment?
Stretches are necessary to prevent reattachment for the lip and a released posterior tongue tie. If someone just releases the anterior component, then I don't really think that stretches matter. The opposing raw edges of the wounds in a lip tie or posterior tongue tie are too close, and will stick together to some degree without stretching.


To read the above article follow this link to Dr. Ghaheri's website.
To read other articles written by Dr. Ghaheri please visit his website DrGhaheri.com

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