Dr. Kristen Berning attends Dr. Ghaheri’s Tongue-Tie course

We keep learning more to be able to give you, your family, and even your baby… exceptional care.

Dr. Kristen Berning recently traveled to Portland, Oregon to see Dr. Bobby Ghaheri speak on the topic of tongue-ties and lip-ties. His presentation was cleverly titled, “Untying Ankyloglossia.”

Ankyloglossia/ Tongue Tie

The definition of ankyloglossia is tongue-tie. A tongue-tie is when the string of tissue under the tongue (the frenum or frenulum) is too tight and causes restrictions with movement that affect feeding or other functions such as speech. This congenital condition affects about 5-10% of the population and limits the tongue from proper movements for feeding such as latching on the breast or bottle. A lip-tie is when a restrictive frenum under the upper lip limits the lip from proper flanging, and/or the tissue restriction adversely affects the anatomy of the gums, bone, and spacing of the front teeth.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Bobby Ghaheri is an otolaryngologist, also known as an ear, nose and throat doctor or ENT. He has been a leader in the field of tongue-tie surgery for the past several years. He is one of the only ENTs in the United States using an in-office laser for tongue-tie and lip-tie correction.

Dr. Berning has been studying Dr. Ghaheri’s tongue-tie research, teachings, and writings for several years and was grateful to be able to spend an entire day learning in person from him.

Dr. Ghaheri’s presentation covered the latest surgical techniques, aftercare techniques, and short-term and long-term benefits supporting tongue-tie correction. Releasing a tongue-tie can help babies latch better on a breast or bottle, and can help older children and adults with dental, speech, or feeding concerns. He presented many research studies supporting how tongue-tie correction improves the breastfeeding dyad relationship. In other words, both the baby and the mother experience benefits together when a problematic tongue-tie is released and feeding improves through a better latch.

Dr. Kristen Berning experienced difficulty herself when breastfeeding a couple of her own tongue-tied children, and is passionate about these interventions that can help other moms and babies. Dr. Berning has been performing tongue-tie laser surgeries for nearly 6 years.

Like many other areas of medicine, treating tongue-ties is often best with a team approach. The course was sold-out and attendees included dentists, pediatricians, family physicians, International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs), registered nurses, midwives, occupational therapists, physical therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, speech language pathologists, bodyworkers, other medical support team members, and more.