How to Correct Tongue Tiedness

Tongue tie is a medical condition in which one's tongue is attached too tightly to the floor of the mouth via a strip of tissue known as the lingual frenulum. While frenula are naturally found in the mouth underneath the top lip and tongue, and inside the cheeks near the hinge of the jaw, issues occur when these tissues are too short or tight and restrict tongue movement. Symptoms of this condition include difficulty breast or bottle feeding as an infant, and a notched tongue tip. Speech development difficulties may occur. Remedies vary from a relaxed approach, to more aggressive treatments.

Instructions

• 1

  Wait to see what happens as the baby ages; this method is becoming the preferred approach to treating tongue tie among doctors. Often, the frenulum will loosen and stretch as your child gets bigger. Difficulties experienced as an infant will cease to exist as the frenulum normalizes. Be sure to manage feeding problems in infancy with your paediatrician or lactation specialist's help.

• 2

  Allow a doctor to perform a frenulotomy; That is, allow a doctor to cut the tissue with surgical scissors to free the tongue's movement. If your child is no more than 12 weeks old, this procedure may be performed without anaesthetic.

• 3

  Perform the frenulotomy under anaesthesia, if your child is more than 12 weeks old. Stitches will be needed to close the wound, and aftercare instructions for elective surgeries apply.