Dr Malcolm Levinkind - Paediatric Tongue-tie Clinic

Dr Malcolm Levinkind - Paediatric Tongue-tie Clinic Specialist Paediatric Dentist offering a dedicated tongue and lip tie clinic using lasers for surgery.

To Cut Or Not To Cut – Part 2Today I said NO! This follows on from my last post when I explained that I can’t give an op...
19/05/2026

To Cut Or Not To Cut – Part 2

Today I said NO!

This follows on from my last post when I explained that I can’t give an opinion on whether to cut a tongue tie from just looking at a photograph. A proper ‘hands-on’ assessment is needed.

So today, there were two babies that I said ‘NO’ to doing the surgery.

Perhaps they will go to another practitioner who may or may not ask the questions I asked and will do the surgery anyway. So if the parents don’t like my advice, they have other options!

After 40 years of paediatric dentistry, I'd like to think I’ve been around long enough to know when it’s appropriate to do surgery and when it isn’t. The bottom line is that it has to be in your baby’s best interest.

And if it’s not, the answer is “NO”.

So if you decide to come for a consultation, please come with an open mind!!

To Cut Or Not To Cut ........... that is the question!We receive lots of photos of tongue ties with the question attache...
05/05/2026

To Cut Or Not To Cut ........... that is the question!

We receive lots of photos of tongue ties with the question attached “does this need cutting”?

Much as it would be very helpful to be able to answer yes or no, it’s not a question I can answer without a ‘hands-on assessment’. Even though a baby has a tongue tie it does not automatically mean it needs to be released. And if it doesn’t need releasing and is not in your baby’s best interest, I don’t do the surgery.

So, we have a consultation to assess the oral tissues – tongue tie, lip tie, buccal ties - and then I give my opinion based on a very long time as a specialist paediatric dentist, now coming up for 42 ??? years!!

We always book out enough time to do the surgery, if it’s needed, the same day as the consultation. Sometimes parents want to do the release the same day, sometimes they need to go away and think about it….. it’s your choice!! 😊



Image: daniel-thomas-_tYNzEqehMk-unsplash

Planning Ahead – We Are Very Impressed!! Most of us plan our summer holidays several weeks or months ahead, we book res...
22/04/2026

Planning Ahead – We Are Very Impressed!!

Most of us plan our summer holidays several weeks or months ahead, we book restaurants ahead of when we plan to eat out and we organise in advance a date to service the car, shampoo the dog, go to the hairdresser and so much more!

So, it shouldn’t really be any different planning an appointment to bring your baby for an assessment before the baby is born!

We have also had a call from a mum to tell us she was planning a second baby and would I be available in 9 months’ time!

There’s a saying that goes something like this: If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.

This is Next Level Planning and we love it :)



Image by AppsHunter io on Unsplash

REFERRALS Many of our babies with tongue ties and lip ties arrive at the practice having been referred by lactation cons...
17/04/2026

REFERRALS

Many of our babies with tongue ties and lip ties arrive at the practice having been referred by lactation consultants, cranial osteopaths, chiropractors, cranio-sacral therapists and West End paediatricians. All these practitioners are very experienced and they’ve seen the babies struggling to feed before the release and then the difference in both mum and the baby afterwards.

It’s now recognised that many babies benefit from cranial osteopathy or cranio-sacral therapy.

We very often recommend that babies have this very gentle type of body work after they’ve had a tongue tie/lip tie release, because they can benefit in so many different ways, from improving colic and reflux to better sleep and simply having a more relaxed baby.
What's not to like!!



Picture: brooke-balentine-cM6WSFg2k78-unsplash

I thought it would be worth continuing with some thoughts about diet and looking after yourself as well as your new baby...
13/04/2026

I thought it would be worth continuing with some thoughts about diet and looking after yourself as well as your new baby.

I work with a nutritionist who was telling me that there are lots of clues our bodies give us if we're low in vitamins and minerals.

Loss of smell and hair loss can both be due to Zinc deficiency; cold hands or feet and feeling short of breath could be an Iron deficiency; muscle cramps, constipation and difficulty falling asleep might be a need for Magnesium.

For most people, eating a balanced diet that includes protein, vegetables, salads etc and staying away from refined sugars will all help with your energy levels. Making changes to your diet isn't always easy because most of us [me included] eat very similar foods every single day! My tip is to make the changes slowly. That way they're much easier to do and much more likely to become part of your lifestyle.

My nutritionist tells her clients to think of it as an ‘old fashioned diet’ before processed foods were invented and we couldn’t snack on crisps, chocolate and diet coke!!



Picture: Chad Montano on Unsplash

There’s always lots to talk about in a tongue tie assessment and a lot of it is not about a tongue tie!Inevitably, exhau...
06/04/2026

There’s always lots to talk about in a tongue tie assessment and a lot of it is not about a tongue tie!

Inevitably, exhaustion and sleep deprivation are high on the list of stressful subjects.

What we seldom have time to talk about is how mums are looking after themselves in terms of how they’re eating.

It’s probably the last thing you want to think about when there are so many other ‘more important’ things to think about. Feeding your baby, feeding your partner, feeding your family, finding new routines and managing all the conflicting advice you’re given from friends, parents AND grandparents!

Even though it was quite a long time ago, I remember it well. There was no shortage of well-meaning advice and in those days we didn’t have all the ‘influencers’ telling parents what to do!

To keep it really simple, eating a diet that includes the colours of the rainbow is a good place to start, so lots of salads and vegetables will provide a lot of essential nutrients. Now that we have some warmer weather, I think it’s a good time to introduce these healthy foods if you think you need to make some changes.

Let me know if you have any questions or if you have some quick, easy and healthy recipes to share!!

Lots of new-born babies this week which is always inspiring. The next generation has arrived!One of our mums had a very...
02/04/2026

Lots of new-born babies this week which is always inspiring. The next generation has arrived!

One of our mums had a very bad experience with her first baby some two or three years ago when the procedure was not done properly and the entire family lived with the consequences for many months.

Once you’ve experienced this kind of trauma, it’s very difficult to let it go. If you’ve read any of Dr Gabor Mate’s work, you know that trauma is not just ‘in your head’ but in your physical body as well. Most people need some help with this kind of trauma.

I’ve worked with babies and children for over 40 years and I still get just as much pleasure and satisfaction from being a part of the next generation’s wellbeing.

Photo by Brooke Ballantine on Unsplash

What I haven't told you !! What I don't talk about very often is the work I do at the Cromwell Hospital. Sometimes babi...
06/08/2025

What I haven't told you !!

What I don't talk about very often is the work I do at the Cromwell Hospital. Sometimes babies and young children need a procedure that for lots of different reasons, can't be done in the practice.

I work with an anaesthetist - sometimes we're doing a tongue and lip tie and other times we're doing more complex surgery.

Here is the anaesthetist I worked with the other day. We've finished the procedure and I am about to go and check up on my patient.

One of the things I really enjoy about my work with babies and children, is that every day is different. I definitely thrive on variety!!

Mum's know bestI've lost count of the number of times I've heard how mothers have had to insist that something is not ri...
08/04/2025

Mum's know best

I've lost count of the number of times I've heard how mothers have had to insist that something is not right about the way their baby feeds.
They know intuitively there's a problem.

And yet, so many times their concerns are brushed aside and they're told there's nothing wrong; they're making a fuss about nothing and sometimes they're even told their baby will 'grow out' of a tongue tie !!

So it's a very stressful journey for many parents trying to find help, especially when it's your first baby.

The second baby with a tongue tie is much easier. As a mum said today with her new 2 week old baby, "My first baby had a tie so I know for sure there's a problem".

What are the problems you've had trying to get a diagnosis?

There's something special about treating twins. It's always surprising and delightful how different they are even when ...
19/02/2025

There's something special about treating twins. It's always surprising and delightful how different they are even when they're just a few days old. It's hard to explain but they just 'feel' different.

And of course they feed differently as well. I have a brilliant lactation consultant in the practice who helps Mums with breast feeding after the tongue tie release. We think of it as the brain and tongue learning a new way of 'being', and we want it to start as soon as possible.



Image by Fallon-Michael on Unsplash

Address

30 Fortis Green
London
N29EL

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

Telephone

+442084443413

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