The current NHS guidelines for tongue tie release suggest that the clinician must determine if the tongue tie is interfering with feeding and then consider if a release is appropriate. In our surgeon’s experience not all tongue ties interfere with feeding in early life, thus most clinicians will not release it on the NHS.

In the Surgeon’s practice, they are seeing toddlers and older children who managed to feed well, but go on to struggle with their tongue tie in other aspects of life. They then need a general anaesthetic for the release. This general anaesthesia could have been avoided had the baby been assessed carefully in early life and parents appropriately educated about the life long impacts of tongue tie.

The lead Surgeon is also carrying out research into the lifelong impacts of tongue tie.

For these reasons, Tongue Tie Surrey offer tongue tie releases for new born babies up to 12 weeks old as well as children aged 7 years and above at the clinic.

NICE guidelines can be reviewed on this link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ipg149