Gentle Care for Tongue & Lip Tie

Helping babies feed, and giving parents greater peace of mind.

A Different Approach to Tongue & Lip Tie

When feeding isn’t going as expected, it can be exhausting, emotional, and overwhelming. Because not every feeding challenge is caused by a tongue or lip tie, our consultation begins with understanding your baby’s individual needs and determining whether a frenotomy is appropriate.

Our goal is to support successful, comfortable feeding for both baby and parent, and not simply perform a procedure.

Gentle, conservative treatment

We perform the smallest release necessary to improve function while minimizing disruption to the tissues of the mouth. This aligns with our osteopathic philosophy of respecting normal anatomy and supporting the body’s natural healing.

Immediate osteopathic treatment

Following the procedure, your baby is placed directly with the nursing or bottle-feeding parent. While your baby is eating, we perform gentle cranial osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) to help reduce tension and encourage optimal oral function.

Coordinated care

Successful feeding often requires a team approach. We routinely coordinate with lactation consultants, chiropractors, doulas, midwives, pediatric providers, and other members of your baby’s support team to optimize outcomes.

Continued support

Healing continues after you leave our office. We provide guidance on post-procedure stretching exercises and follow up to answer questions and help ensure nursing is progressing as expected.

A calm, healing environment

Our office is warm, welcoming, and intentionally designed to put you at ease.

What to Expect

Knowing what to expect can make the experience feel much less overwhelming. Many families are surprised by how quickly babies settle and return to feeding after the procedure.

Before your Appointment

  • During a 10–15 minutes phone call, we discuss your baby’s feeding challenges, your goals, and what to expect during the visit.
  • We identify the members of your baby’s care team, including your lactation consultant, chiropractor, doula, PCP, or midwife, so that we can coordinate care when appropriate.

Day of Your Visit

  • Please arrive a few minutes early and relax in the lobby.
  • After welcoming your family into the exam room, we will perform an examination, discuss options, review the procedure and answer any remaining questions.
  • During the release, one parent will help gently hold the baby while the other parent prepares to feed.
  • Immediately after the procedure, your baby will be returned to the nursing/feeding parent for feeding whenever possible.
  • As your baby settles into feeding, we perform gentle cranial osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) to encourage relaxation and optimal oral movement.
  • Before you leave, we’ll review home care instructions, stretching exercises, expected healing, warning signs to watch for, and your follow-up plan.

Tongue & Lip Tie Consultation • $200 per visit

This service is provided as a consultation without enrolling in our Direct Primary Care membership. This consultation is not intended to replace your child’s primary pediatric care. We work collaboratively with your child’s physician and other healthcare professionals to support your family’s feeding goals.

  • Comprehensive feeding consultation
  • Evaluation for tongue and/or lip tie
  • Frenotomy, when clinically indicated
  • Cranial osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) immediately following the procedure
  • Coordination with your baby’s care team when appropriate
  • Follow-up communication regarding healing and feeding progress

Frequently Asked Questions

Feeding challenges can have many different causes, and not every baby with a tongue or lip tie needs treatment. During your consultation, we’ll evaluate your baby’s oral function, feeding, and overall situation to determine whether a tongue or lip tie may be contributing and whether a release is likely to help.

No. Not every tongue or lip tie requires treatment. Our recommendations are based on how your baby is feeding and functioning, and not simply whether a tie is present. If we don’t believe a frenotomy is likely to improve feeding, we’ll discuss other options and recommendations with you.

In most cases, yes. Whenever possible, babies are returned to the nursing parent immediately after the procedure so they can feed right away. Many families are pleasantly surprised by how quickly their baby settles and resumes feeding.

Absolutely. Successful feeding often requires a team approach. When appropriate, we collaborate with lactation consultants, chiropractors, doulas, midwives, pediatric providers, and other members of your baby’s care team to support the best possible outcome.

Yes. We provide detailed home care instructions, including stretching exercises when appropriate, and remain available to answer questions as your baby heals. Our goal is to support successful feeding well beyond the procedure itself.

Not every feeding challenge is caused by a tongue or lip tie. If we determine that a release is unlikely to improve your baby’s feeding, we’ll explain our findings and discuss other recommendations that may better support your family’s goals.

READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP?

Let’s determine what’s best for your baby.

Schedule a consultation to determine whether a tongue or lip tie may be contributing, and whether treatment is appropriate for your family.