
Mr Simon Filson
Cosmetic Doctor, Plastic Surgeon
Our son had difficulty with feeding/latching and sticking his tongue out since birth. After the first night, I questioned several times whether he may have had a tongue tie. He was born via emergency forceps and it was presumed by multiple members of hospital staff that his difficulties feeding were due to a stiff jaw/shoulders, and being first time parents, we just accepted that this is the way it is and got on with it! As a result of his birth method and his difficulties feeding (and lots of pain for me!), we sought advice and support from a private Osteopath/lactation consultant who eventually found, at nearly 9 weeks old, that he had a posterior tongue tie. I was advised to go to the local NHS feeding clinic for the infant feeding specialists to carry out a tongue-tie assessment with him and they find he was scoring as borderline for a referral to ENT for a frenectomy. However, the NHS would be unlikely to do anything about it despite his difficulties which is when we decided to look at private options. I was advised by the NHS infant feeding specialist that this procedure could be carried out by a range of people, including those without the qualifications to do so. Therefore, the main criteria for us was that it was an expert based in a hospital who would be able to give a second opinion on whether a frenectomy would be suitable for him.
After a quick Google search, the Evelina hospital came up as a hospital with an excellent reputation for this procedure, however living in Warrington we wanted to ensure we were doing the right thing. I decided to ring and speak to someone and was introduced to Dr Simon Filson’s secretary who was extremely reassuring and was able to give us an appointment 3 days later! Within hours of completing the referral forms, we received an email from Simon complete with information leaflets so that we felt we could make an informed decision when meeting him. The tone of his email was relaxed and friendly, and we felt confident that the consultation with Simon was the right thing to do and also worth making the journey on the train from Warrington to London with our little boy in 36 degree heat!
On meeting Simon, we were instantly reassured! Simon was so knowledgeable, and listened intently to the journey that we had been on with our son’s feeding difficulties and painful latching. He explained the procedure to us, and that he would look inside our son’s mouth using his Mickey Mouse head-shaped tool, and if it needed doing, he would use the laser to cauterise the tongue tie there and then. The use of the laser would lead to a lot less side effects than the traditional cutting of it with scissors. The lovely nurse assisting Simon swaddled our baby and I was able to comfort him whilst the procedure was completed. Our son did have a tongue tie and it was gone in a matter of seconds. I was then advised to feed him straight away and felt quite emotional that my initial instincts were correct. The first feed already felt different as his tongue was able to reach the front of his mouth. By the next morning, he was sticking his tongue out, practicing what he could not do before!
Over the next fortnight, we heard from Simon regularly asking for updates and photos to see how we were getting on. His latch got wider, the pain disappeared, the time between feeds increased and his demeanour seems so much happier, as remarked by many family members. A few days of Calpol was all that was required for him to recover. We weighed him today, and in the 11 days since the procedure, he has put on over a pound in weight, which goes to show how much easier he is now finding feeding!
We hold Simon in very high regard and would strongly recommend his expertise to anyone seeking support for their baby.