What to Expect & How to Prepare for Your Visit
No Uncertainty Right from the Start
At your appointment, Dr. Paige will talk to you about symptoms you or your baby may be experiencing and will perform an oral exam. The exam involves not only a visual but a functional assessment. Dr. Paige has advanced training in assessing ties and will be able to advise you on the possible need for revision. She is also experienced enough to be aware of other causes that may contribute to the symptoms you or your baby are experiencing.
Because the issue is often multifactorial, it is important to see a knowledgeable provider who is trained and experienced to assess ties specifically for the resolution of functional issues, not just physical appearance. This type of assessment takes much more time but is extremely important for making the best decision for your little one. We encourage you to make sure you can take full advantage of this time with Dr. Paige.
If you have older children, make sure you have someone who can attend to them in a separate area so you can focus on making this decision for your little one uninterrupted. If at all possible, we recommend you leave them with a family member or a sitter so there is no stress for you to feel you need to finish up and get back to them. We would much rather you feel you can focus on your little one 100%.
Once you have spoken with Dr. Paige about if a revision is recommended, it can often be completed the same day.
Expectations for Lip & Tongue Tie Procedures
Before your Appointment
We strongly encourage you to have a visit with lactation support before you come to see us. It is helpful to already have this support in place. They can provide suggestions for improving your child’s ability to latch pre and post revision and can help with supplementing nutrition as needed. They can also do a weighted feed, which is information that is helpful to us in deciding if a revision would be beneficial. We find that our moms and babies that have pre and post-op visits with lactation support have the best recovery and quickest resolution of feeding problems.
Take note of some basics, like how often you are feeding, how long each feeding session lasts, and how your baby behaves during feedings and generally throughout the day and night. We will ask you these questions during your visit.
Some other things that are helpful to have on hand are:
- Pain relief items you plan to use so you will immediately have them available. Some examples include Children/Infant Acetaminophen, Children/Infant Ibuprofen (for babies 6mo or older), homeopathic teething gel, essential oils, and hot or cold packs
- A headlight like you would use for camping
- Coconut oil for the post-operative stretches
- Swaddles to help keep your baby’s hands out of the way during stretches, and while you can use any you prefer, we like Swaddle Me wraps by Summer Infant.
Things you may want to bring:
- Any medication or comfort items you plan to use to help manage discomfort.
- Any nursing aids your baby has become accustomed to such as a nipple shield, syringe, etc.
- Bottle with formula or pumped milk if your baby does take bottles.
- A support person to help you focus on your baby 100%.
- Your phone or another recording device so you or we can record the stretches as we demonstrate them.
Pre-Op Instructions for Frenectomies