Tongue tie aftercare

This resource explains what to expect after a tongue tie release procedure and how to care for your baby.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please speak to your midwife, health visitor or a member of your local infant feeding team.

Healing

The mouth heals very quickly, and is helped along by breast milk and saliva. Regular feeding as normal will help the healing process and soothe the area.

After the tongue tie procedure, you may notice a red or pink diamond-shaped wound under your baby’s tongue. This will become white or yellow and shrink as it heals. This is normal and is not an infection. The area will change in colour from red, to yellow and then pink or white as the wound heals.

Sometimes after the procedure, a small white or yellow blister may appear. This is generally painless and should not interfere with feeding. It should disappear over the next few days.

You should make an urgent appointment with your midwife or GP if your baby:

• has a swollen, red, and inflamed wound
• has a high temperature
• is reluctant to feed
• is sleepy or irritable

If you are using feeding equipment such as bottles, teats, and dummies, please make sure they sterilised properly, and make follow instructions to make the formula.

Scar tissue

You may notice your baby moving their tongue around much more after the tongue tie procedure.

Playing games to encourage your baby to stick their tongue out, move it from side to side and up and down may help prevent scar tissue forming.

Around 2 to 4 percent of babies will have scar tissue on the wound. This can have the same effect on feeding as the tongue tie did. If you think your babies feeding is affected you should contact your infant feeding team or health visitor for advice.

Bleeding

We will check that any bleeding has stopped before you go home.

If your baby swallows some blood after the procedure, you may see flecks of blood in your baby’s sick or poo. This is nothing to be concerned about.

Further bleeding after the procedure is unusual but can sometimes happen. If this does happen, feed your baby as normal as this will compress the wound area, and should stop any bleeding.

If there is more bleeding, clean your baby’s mouth with a clean cloth or muslin. Then with your finger tip, press gently and firmly to apply pressure. Do this for around 5 to 10 minutes. Try to not check the wound too much as it might open up.

If the bleeding continues, or you are concerned, seek medical attention by calling 111 or going to the nearest emergency department.

Ongoing support

You may notice that your baby’s feeding technique improves after the tongue tie procedure, but for most babies, it can take a while.

You and your baby will have been managing for some time with restricted tongue movement, so you will both need time to get used to your baby’s tongue becoming more mobile. If you are breast feeding, your nipples may also be sore, so you will need time to heal too.

We recommend you have ongoing support from your local infant feeding service or health visitor following the procedure to support you through this transition.