Post-Op Care

Tongue Tie/Lip Tie

Instructions following Surgery:

1. You may breast feed or bottle feed your baby immediately following surgery

2. Your baby may use a pacifier immediately following surgery

3. The surgical site(s) will look reddish, brownish, black the day of the procedure. These will heal into soft white scabs (sometimes with a yellow or greenish tinge). And eventually everything will heal into a nice pink color typically around 2 weeks after the procedure.

4. Post op discomfort generally sets in 5-7 hours after the procedure. For the first 2-3 days following surgery, you may use over the counter Tylenol or any homeopathic remedy that you feel comfortable with (Highland's teething gel, Arnica, Lavender Essential Oil, etc)

5. You may use Vitamin E oil on the surgical site(s) in the morning and at bedtime.

6. Begin stretching exercises the same day of surgery

   Lip Exercise: Gently lift the lip toward the nose as high as it will go and hold there for 3 seconds. Repeat 4 to 6 times per day for 2 weeks.

   Tongue Exercise: Rub your index finger back and forth across the floor of the mouth 4-6 times. Place your index fingers underneath the tongue and raise the tongue up and back towards the back of the throat as far as it will go and hold for 3 seconds. Make sure to push your fingers into the diamond shaped surgical wound.

   **It is OKAY to see a little bleeding from the surgical site while doing stretches**

7. Common post-operative healing consequences include: generalized "fussiness" for 1-2 days, swelling of the lip, low grade fever, slight bleeding of the surgical are for 1 or 2 days.

8. Return to the office in 5 days for a post treatment evaluation.