Tess Merrell News Today

Dentists and midwives across the US have been increasingly slicing off tissue around babies’ tongues to make breastfeeding easier — but some critics claim the surgery is nothing but a dangerous “money grab.’’

A baby was examined before a tongue-tie release in a clinic in Manhattan last month.Credit...Jackie Molloy for The New York Times Dentists and lactation…

Tess Merrell had breastfed three babies and never expected trouble with her fourth. But after a month of struggling with her newborn, she hired Melanie Henstrom for help. Henstrom, a lactation consultant, identified a culprit: The infant’s tongue was tethered to the bottom of her mouth. It was a common problem, she said, and could be fixed with a quick procedure at a dentist’s office. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times “It was touted as this miracle c...

Midwives and doctors have aggressively recommended that babies undergo a risky procedure to make breastfeeding easier, with potentially disastrous consequences.