Tongue-tie (Ankyloglossia)
Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) is a condition occurring at birth when the strip of skin attaching the infant’s tongue to their mouth’s bottom is shorter than typical.
Tongue-tie is caused by an abnormally short, thick, or tight tissue band (lingual frenulum) tethering the bottom of the tongue’s tip to the mouth’s floor, which might hinder breastfeeding.
Tongue-tie can have an impact on a baby’s oral growth, in addition to how they eat, talk, and swallow.
Symptoms
Tongue-tie symptoms and signs include:
- Difficulties moving the tongue from one side to the other or raising the tongue to the upper teeth.
- Having difficulty pushing out the tongue beyond the lower front teeth.
- When stuck out, a tongue that looks notched or heart-shaped.
Causes
The lingual frenulum generally splits before birth; however, with tongue-tie, the lingual frenulum stays attached to the bottom of the tongue. It’s uncertain why this develops, although certain occurrences of tongue-tie have been associated with genetic factors.
Risk factors
Although tongue-tie can affect anybody, boys are more at risk than girls. Tongue-tie syndrome can run in families.
Treatment
If your newborn has tongue tie but can feed normally, treatment is not necessarily required. If their feeding is restricted, they can be treated with a simple technique called tongue-tie division.
Tongue-tie division
The small, tight strip of skin connecting the bottom of the tongue to the bottom of the mouth is removed to separate the tongue tie.
It’s a short, painless procedure that typically improves eating immediately.
Tongue-tie division is performed by doctors, nurses, or midwives.
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD
Page last reviewed: 28 March 2023