What problems can a tongue-tie cause?

A restrictive tongue-tie can limit how the tongue moves and rests. In babies this may contribute to breastfeeding difficulties (poor latch, long feeds, nipple pain); in older children and adults it can affect tongue posture, swallowing patterns, and comfort with speech or eating in some cases. Because resting tongue posture helps shape the palate, tongue function is also part of our airway-focused assessment of jaw development.

Does every tongue-tie need to be released?

No. The look of a frenum matters less than how the tongue functions. We assess feeding or function first. Often alongside a lactation consultant, speech pathologist or myofunctional therapist. And only recommend release when a genuine functional restriction exists. Some tongue-ties simply need monitoring or therapy alone.

What does a tongue-tie release involve?

A frenotomy is a brief procedure that releases the tight band of tissue under the tongue. We'll explain the steps, comfort measures, risks and aftercare (including simple stretches or exercises where advised) before anything happens, and we coordinate follow-up with your feeding or therapy team. As with any procedure, individual results vary and all risks are discussed first.

Babies · children · adults

Tongue & Lip-Tie Care, Function First Coming soon

The tongue and lips do a lot more than talk. They shape feeding, swallowing, resting posture and even how the palate grows. We assess how the tongue and lip work, not just how they look, and release ties gently when function genuinely calls for it.

Book an assessment Read: tongue-ties explained

When a Tongue-Tie Matters

Feeding difficulties in babies. Shallow latch, clicking, marathon feeds, poor weight gain, nipple pain. A restrictive tie can contribute, and release may help feeding when assessed properly, ideally with a lactation consultant.
Tongue posture & jaw growth. The tongue resting on the palate is nature's palate expander. A tie that anchors the tongue low can be part of the narrow-palate, mouth-breathing story we screen for in airway-focused assessments.
Function in older kids & adults. Restricted tongue mobility can affect swallowing patterns, and for some people, comfort with speech or eating. Therapy, release, or both. We'll map the right order with your therapists.

Honest by default: not every tongue-tie needs releasing. If function is fine, we'll tell you so. If therapy alone is the better first step, we'll tell you that too.

How We Care for Tongue-Ties

Assess Function

Feeding history, tongue mobility and posture, palate shape, breathing. With input from lactation consultants, speech pathologists or myofunctional therapists where relevant.

Plan Together

Clear recommendation: monitor, therapy first, or release. With steps, comfort measures, risks and costs explained before anything happens.

Release & Follow Up

A gentle, brief frenotomy when indicated, simple aftercare (stretches/exercises where advised), and coordinated follow-up with your feeding or therapy team.

What the Research Says

Feeding. A Cochrane review found frenotomy reduced nipple pain for breastfeeding mothers, with some short-term feeding improvement. The reviewers were honest that trial quality is limited, which is why we assess feeding properly (ideally with a lactation consultant) instead of releasing every tie.

O'Shea et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017

Breathing and sleep. Sleep researchers identified a short lingual frenulum as a frequent finding in children with obstructive sleep apnoea: a restricted tongue rests low, and a low tongue is part of the narrow-palate, mouth-breathing pattern.

Guilleminault et al., ERJ Open Research, 2016

Release plus therapy. In a series of 348 patients, tongue-tie release combined with myofunctional (tongue exercise) therapy was safe and was followed by reported improvements in mouth breathing, snoring and sleep quality.

Zaghi et al., Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology, 2019

Tongue exercises and sleep apnoea. A meta-analysis found myofunctional therapy roughly halved sleep-apnoea severity in adults and reduced it by about 62% in children. The tongue is a muscle; where it rests and how it works matters.

Camacho et al., SLEEP, 2015

These are associations and reported outcomes from research, not guarantees. Speech evidence is mixed, over-diagnosis of ties is real, and any procedure carries risks that we discuss with you first. Function decides, never appearance.

Wondering About a Tie?

One functional assessment brings clarity. For feeding, speech or airway questions alike.

Book online (03) 8774 2315