What is tongue-tie?

Tongue-tie is a minor defect of the mouth that decreases the mobility of the tongue.

If you raise your tongue to the roof of the mouth, you will see a band of tissue underneath your tongue called the frenulum. This band helps anchor your tongue to the floor of your mouth. If this string of tissue is too short or tight, you cannot move your tongue well enough to touch the roof of your mouth and may result in speech problems.

Does tongue-tie cause any problems?

Tongue-tie is present at birth. Most often, the frenulum (band of tissue) gradually stretches and there is no problem. However, if the newborn child has a particularly tight frenulum, feeding may be difficult. If this is the case, treatment will be needed immediately.

If feeding problems are not present and the frenulum does not stretch by the time your child is 10-12 months old, treatment is usually recommended so that speech problems do not occur.

How is tongue-tie treated?

Treatment is surgical and consists of separating the band of tissue (frenulum) in a very quick and completely painless procedure called FRENULOPLASTY.