Appointment Info
What Will Happen At Your Appointment?
Your appointment will be face to face at our clinic in either Ossett or Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
The appointments are allocated for 60 minutes and the clinic will be facilitated by two Specialist Midwives.
The appointment includes a full oral assessment using the Hazelbaker Assessment Tool for Lingual Frenulum Function. The results of this assessment will then be fully discussed with you.
If a tongue tie is identified, the procedure will be explained, including the risks and benefits, and you will be asked to sign a consent form.
Immediately after the procedure, we ask that you feed your baby as this helps to comfort them and minimise any bleeding.
A full oral check will be performed before you leave the clinic.
You can be present throughout the whole appointment and have one support person accompany you if you wish.
You will receive a follow up call within one week of the procedure. We discuss wound healing, and any ongoing feeding issues and are happy to answer any other questions you may have.
Our aim is for you to leave happy and confident after your visit. However, we do recognise that some parents may need additional ongoing support. We can signpost to local support groups, as well as offer follow-up face to face feeding sessions, if required (30 minutes – £50.00).
PLEASE NOTE – We do not offer a virtual assessment as both function and appearance contributes to the assessment and decision making process.
What Is A Frenulotomy?
Frenulotomy is described as a simple, quick procedure and in early infancy is performed without anaesthesia. NICE, (2005) suggests that there are no major safety concerns about division of tongue tie.
Your baby will be swaddled and held gently to keep their head still. Their tongue will be lifted and sterile scissors will be used to divide the tongue tie. The medical name for the procedure is a frenulotomy.
Your baby may cry during the procedure, but this is usually very short lived.
After the procedure, there may be a small amount of bleeding. Feeding may be resumed immediately as this helps to calm and sooth your baby. We will support you with your feeding immediately after the procedure.
Babies can often be seen to move their tongues around, push them out, and have an improved latch. Some mothers report an improvement straight away, however, in some cases, this may take longer as baby re-learns how to feed with their tongue which has renewed movement and function.
Feeding is dynamic and constantly changing. A frenulotomy forms one part of a complex feeding jigsaw and therefore division of tongue tie is just one piece of that jigsaw. Advice around positioning and attachment is just as important to support you in your feeding journey.
It is important to remember that it can take time for some babies to gradually transition from the use of things that may have been introduced, such as finger feeding and nipple shields, whilst their breastfeeding gradually improves.
How to find us…
OSSETT CLINIC – private and secure premises next door to LA Brook on Spa Street, Ossett, 5 minutes from Junction 40 of the M1. Free car parking available.
ILKLEY CLINIC – private and secure clinic room within Ilkley Dental Studio.
