What is tongue-tie?
This is an inherited condition which results in a reduction of tongue mobility due to a shortening of the attachment (frenum or frenulum) of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. Tongue-tie has highly variable presentation, which means that in some moderate cases it may be difficult to diagnose correctly without significant prior experience. This often leads to treatment being delayed. The two most significant areas in which a restricted tongue impacts on a child’s life are feeding and speech.
Feeding
Tongue-tie is one of the reasons a baby may be experiencing problems with breastfeeding. Early treatment usually results in a significant improvement in feeding for both the child and mother.
Fortunately, it is usually easy to identify very early in life, often being noted in the labour ward immediately after birth. This can be most beneficial, as early treatment often corrects feeding problems, thereby allowing normal breastfeeding, when it might otherwise be difficult, if not impossible. The use of laser for this treatment is safe and effective for newborns. Dr Kobler has successfully treated infants as young as two days after birth and commonly treats within the first 2-4 weeks of life.
It is also possible for some tongue-tied infants to adapt to breast feeding and manage to feed quite successfully. This is especially observed where the mother reports a generous flow of breast milk, enabling the infant to feed adequately without having to attach to the breast to suckle strongly.
Speech
Untreated tongue-tie often results in impaired speech. Some children can compensate over time and eventually develop normal sounding speech, even those with the frenulum attached very close to the front of the tongue tip. Unfortunately, many children may have imprecise articulation, especially when talking quickly.
EXAMPLE
Before
After
