Maria asks about carrying a grooved tongue director for deciding whether to refer for tongue tie.



Maria, I love the grooved directors!  I think the docs who use them get a better, deeper revision of the tongue tie than those who don't.  In our hospital it is generally the neonatologists who use them.  The pediatricians are usually just using a finger to stretch the tongue while they make the snip.  



That being said, I do not carry one with me or use one to assess a tongue.  I use a gloved finger a la Cathy Watson Genna (if you don't have her Supporting Sucking Skills yet run to the nearest computer and order it!).  I feel my finger and eyes give me the information I need to know; sometimes two fingers are needed to assess for a sub mucosal tie - see Dr Kotlow's You Tube clip.



Perhaps you could carry tongue blades (aka depressors) if you felt like you needed a "tool".  



Anne Duret, RN IBCLC

Springfield, Oregon





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