How do I know if my baby is tongue-tied?
A tongue-tie is diagnosed by function, not by how the tissue looks. The signs that matter are feeding signs: a shallow or clicking latch, nipple pain or damage, feeds that run past 30 minutes, poor weight gain, or a baby who falls asleep at the breast and wakes hungry twenty minutes later.
A short frenulum with feeding going well is not a problem and does not need treatment. This is worth saying plainly, because tongue-tie is currently over-diagnosed and a number of babies get procedures they did not need.
What we do first
We ask you to see an IBCLC lactation consultant before we schedule a release, and we mean it. A large share of latch problems are positional and resolve without any procedure. We work with the consultants at Cedarfield Family Birth Center and are happy to send a referral.
If you have already been evaluated and arrive with a recommendation, bring it.
What is the procedure like?
Dr. Marco does these. Topical anesthetic, a diode laser, a few minutes. There is minimal bleeding. You feed your baby immediately afterward, here, in a quiet room, and most babies settle within a few minutes.
You will be taught a set of stretches to do several times a day for the following two to three weeks, and we will show you on your own baby rather than on a diagram. The stretches are the part that determines the outcome, and they are not optional.
We follow up by phone at 48 hours and see you in the office at two weeks.
Last reviewed February 2026 by Brightburrow clinical staff.