How to Prevent Complications After Tongue Tie Surgery

Many newborns born with tongue tie have trouble eating, speaking or breastfeeding. Tongue tie surgery can be a solution. It is a straightforward treatment that can significantly improve tongue mobility.

What is Tongue Tie?

Some people are born with a disorder called “tongue tie,” which limits their ability to move their tongue freely.

The bottom of your tongue is attached to the floor of your mouth by a band of tissue. You can see it in the mirror if you open your mouth and raise your tongue. This tissue is known as the lingual frenulum.

Most people’s lingual frenulum is small and located in the middle of the underside of their tongue. This is normal and provides a lot of flexibility for your tongue.

In tongue tie patients, the lingual frenulum is short, thick or tight. In the worst cases, the tongue’s tip is attached to the floor of the mouth, which makes it very hard to move.

What Happens if You Do Nothing About Tongue Tie?

Sometimes, tongue tie does not pose significant issues, and the condition is left untreated until adulthood. However, problems from a tongue tie may arise at some point, like difficulty speaking. Thus, most parents choose to have their kids’ tongues fixed with surgery so they do not have problems later on.
Tongue tie surgery is simple and low-risk, but complications may arise, like with any medical procedure. To prevent this, here are some aftercare tips for a swift recovery.

Post-Surgery Care Tips to Prevent Complications

Tongue tie surgery is a quick and easy in-office operation that entails cutting and freeing the lingual frenulum. Little time is needed for healing after the treatment, but parents will need to assist with stretching the area where the tissue was removed, so the skin does not grow back too firmly.

After treatment, it is normal for there to be some light bleeding, especially in the first few days. However, you should still execute the exercises.

You should begin your post-operative exercise routine the night after surgery, no later than six hours after the operation. You should stretch five times a day, every day, for a full six weeks beginning the day following surgery. After your surgery at NYC Tongue Tie, we will tell you in detail how to do the stretches necessary.

For many days after the treatment, the area where surgery was done may look white or yellow, like pus. It is a natural inflammatory response, but call us if you are worried about an infection.

Do You or Your Child Need Tongue-Tie Surgery?

Contact NYC Tongue Tie for the safest and least stressful method of treating tongue tie. Dr. Levitin’s innovative non-surgical approach takes only ten minutes. He has performed the procedure on over 1,000 patients to date. Do not hesitate to schedule a consultation today.