A tongue tie assessment at Tooth Town is a functional assessment. That means it is not a quick look under the tongue — it is a careful examination of what your child’s tongue can actually do, alongside a proper conversation about what you have been noticing.
Assessments are carried out by Dr Helen Fung, a specialist paediatric dentist whose clinical focus is functional tongue assessment across infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood. You may also see this described as the Brisbane Tongue Tie Clinic.
First, we listen
The appointment starts with you. What have you noticed? What is the feeding like, or the eating, or the speech? How long has it been going on? Who else is involved — a lactation consultant, a speech pathologist, a GP, a child health nurse?
If your baby is feeding, what you are experiencing matters clinically too. Nipple pain and damage, a distorted or blanched nipple shape after feeds, feeds that stretch out very long, or supply concerns are all part of the picture — not just background information. You are not simply the reporter of your baby’s symptoms.
For older children, we want to know about eating and textures, speech and how therapy is progressing, and how your child sleeps and breathes.
Then we assess function, not just appearance
This is the part that differs most from a casual look.
The tongue needs to be able to do six things, and restriction of any one of them can matter:
Extend — reach forward far enough to grasp and stabilise.
Elevate — lift the mid and back of the tongue to the palate. This is the movement breastfeeding depends on, and the one most often missed.
Cup — hold and maintain a seal.
Lateralise — move side to side, which is what moves food to the molars.
Spread — spread out at the front for an effective latch.
Control — manage a swallow safely.
You will notice that sticking the tongue out is not on that list. Protrusion is the movement checked most often and it is one of the least functionally relevant. Elevation matters far more, and a child can have one without the other.
And we feel, not just look
Some restrictions are clearly visible. Others are not visible at all — the tongue can look entirely normal on inspection while a tight band is easily felt underneath.
That is why the assessment includes gentle palpation of the floor of the mouth. It is quick and well tolerated, and it is the part of the examination that finds what looking alone cannot. An assessment that does not include it is not complete.
We use validated tools
Where appropriate, we use recognised measures rather than relying on impression alone — including a validated measure of tongue range of motion, and, where sleep or breathing is part of the picture, a validated screening questionnaire.
The point of using them is that they give a number. That means we can explain findings to you clearly, track change over time, and communicate precisely with your GP, lactation consultant or speech pathologist rather than trading vague descriptions.
What the assessment might conclude
There are several honest outcomes, and only one of them is a procedure.
No treatment needed. For many families this is the answer, and it is a good one. If the tongue is doing its job, a visible frenulum is not a reason to intervene.
Support from someone else first, or instead. Depending on your child, we may suggest working with a lactation consultant, a feeding specialist, a speech pathologist, an orofacial myofunctional therapist, or an ENT specialist. Sometimes improving how the mouth is used makes a real difference on its own. Sometimes the driver is not the tongue at all.
Active monitoring. Keeping an eye on things, with support, is a legitimate plan.
A release, as part of a wider plan. Where a restriction is genuinely limiting function and releasing it is likely to help, we will talk it through fully.
If a release is recommended, it is never the whole plan
This is the principle we most want families to understand, particularly if you have arrived having read about tongue tie surgery online.
A release on its own does not restore function. The tongue has to learn to use the range of movement it has gained, and that does not happen automatically. So the plan is normally therapy before, the release itself, and therapy afterwards — in that order.
The work beforehand prepares the muscles and begins unpicking the patterns your child has developed to compensate. The work afterwards is where function is actually rebuilt. Skipping it risks losing the benefit.
On method: both scissors and laser techniques are used in this field, and no method has been shown to be superior to another. What determines the outcome is the skill of the operator and the aftercare. If you encounter marketing claiming one tool is inherently better, that is worth treating with some scepticism.
We will talk you through what a release involves so you can decide with a clear picture of it, and nothing needs to be decided on the spot.
Why acting at the right time matters
When a tongue cannot do something, children are remarkably good at finding another way. The jaw, lips and cheeks step in to compensate.
That is why a child can appear to be coping while the underlying restriction is unchanged — and it is worth asking whether function has genuinely improved, or whether compensation has simply become more effective. Compensating patterns become habits, and habits take longer to unpick later.
This is not a reason to rush into a procedure. It is a reason not to leave a real difficulty unsupported.
Function is looked at in every consultation, not just this one
You do not need to book a tongue tie assessment for someone to notice a problem.
Every consultation at Tooth Town looks at how your child’s mouth is working, not only at their teeth. All clinicians consulting at Tooth Town — including the general dentists — consider function as part of a routine visit, and will refer you through for a full functional assessment with Dr Helen Fung if something warrants a closer look.
So if your child comes in for a check-up and there is something worth investigating, you will hear about it. You do not have to spot it yourself, and you do not have to ask for it.
Practical things to know
You are welcome to stay with your baby or child for the whole appointment, including a release if one is recommended. The only Tooth Town appointments where a parent cannot stay are those under general anaesthesia, and a tongue or lip tie release in the rooms is not a general anaesthetic procedure.
There are quiet, comfortable rooms where you can feed in privacy, and toys for siblings.
No referral is needed to book, though anything you have from your GP, lactation consultant, speech pathologist or child health nurse is genuinely useful — please bring it.
Tongue and lip tie consultations are with Dr Helen Fung. This is a dedicated assessment pathway rather than a general check-up appointment — the team will find you a suitable time when you book.
Common questions
How long does the assessment take?
Long enough to take a proper history, assess function and talk through what we find. The team can tell you what to expect for your child’s appointment when you book.
Will it hurt my baby?
The assessment itself is gentle. Palpation of the floor of the mouth is quick and usually well tolerated, though some babies object to having their mouth examined at all, which is normal.
Will the release happen on the same day?
We cannot promise that. The consultation is an assessment first. If treatment is appropriate, Dr Helen will discuss timing with you.
Do we need a referral?
No. You are welcome to bring information from other professionals involved, but a referral is not required to book.
What ages do you assess?
Babies, toddlers, older children, adolescents and adults. Feeding concerns in newborns, and eating, speech or oral function questions later on, are all reasons families come.
What to do next
Book a tongue and lip tie assessment, or read more on our tongue and lip ties service page.
This guide is general information and does not replace an individual assessment. Your child’s clinician will confirm what is appropriate for them.