Dr. Jesse Witkoff Releases Tongue Ties To Improve Breastfeeding

DENVER (CBS4)- It's a condition you've probably never heard of, but about 4% of babies in the U.S. are born with tongue tie. Those babies have a short, tight band of tissue that tethers the tongue to the mouth.

Some medical professionals say it can make breastfeeding difficult and it can lead to speech problems.

CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh watched a procedure to correct tongue tie using a CO2 laser.

Ella May is Lauren and Steve Worrall's first child. She's a healthy baby, but hasn't been very happy when she's nursing.

"She didn't seem very comfortable," said Lauren.

And Lauren has felt some pain.

"That's when I just thought, you know, something is different here," she added.

So the Worralls drove from Breckenridge to Denver to see Dr. Jesse Witkoff, a pediatric dentist of 25 years and the founder of "Colorado Tongue Tie."

"Hello, Ella. Oh, that's a good yawn," said Witkoff.

He then checked Ella's mouth to see if bands of tissue, one under the top lip and one under the tongue, are too tight, restricting her range of motion and keeping her from properly latching to breastfeed.

"There's our tongue," he said, using his finger to feel for the tissue. "That's really restricted."

Six years ago, Witkoff discovered a budding business in tongues. He realized the CO2 laser he used to treat cavities could easily release both a tongue tie and a lip tie.

"I had one mother in particular who told me, 'Great, you did my three-year-old and my five-year-old. Why don't you do my baby?'" said Witkoff.

Now, he specializes in the solution for babies and people of all ages.

Ella was agitated as her mouth was positioned for the procedure. Sugar water was used as anesthesia. With the laser, Witkoff quickly vaporized the tissue.

The same was done with the lip. Each took about 7 seconds.

The hope was that Ella could now eat comfortably and Lauren could nurse her baby, pain free.

A week later, Lauren said she was definitely seeing improvement.

But recently, a small study of 115 babies referred to a specialty center found that 63% didn't need the tongue tie operation. The study was published in the July 2019 edition of JAMA Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.

The best advice is to consult your doctor.