What is a
Tongue Tie?
Find out what you need to know if you think your baby has a tongue tie.
What is a Tongue-Tie?
Tongue-tie or Ankyloglossia, describes a condition where the movements of the tongue are restricted. It is estimated that around 10% of the population are affected, with a higher prevalence in boys. But not all tongue-ties need to be treated.
Most people will notice they have a membrane under their tongue, called the frenulum, which connects the base of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. A tongue-tie is diagnosed when that membrane, (or fold of mucosa), is too tight, or shorter and thicker than it should be, restricting the normal movements of the tongue. A tongue-tie should only be diagnosed after a physical assessment, and not just by looking at it (whether in-person or over zoom!).
Usually, tongue-tie is identified in newborns and during early childhood, but sometimes it can be diagnosed in adulthood. The tongue has several key functions including chewing, swallowing, and speaking. In infancy, it is crucial for supporting infant breastfeeding and bottle feeding. When there are challenges with feeding in early infancy, a tongue-tie may need to be treated. Although speech can be affected by a tongue-tie, it is not something that can be predicted, and there are some who are not affected at all as they grow-up.
Signs of Tongue-Tie
Sometimes a child or baby may have:
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difficulty moving their tongue from side to side or lifting the tongue to the roof of their mouth
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find it hard to stick their tongue out
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a heart-shaped tongue when stuck out, or a visible notch in the tip of their tongue
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difficulties with pronouncing the sounds t, d, z, s, th, n, and l, or a lisp
A tongue tie can be identified as being either anterior (front) or posterior (back).
If the tongue is showing restriction, it may be beneficial for your baby to receive treatment to release the membrane that is causing the tension, to allow for better feeding and to resolve these symptoms. In Hong Kong, the release is done by a Paediatric Dentist or Ears, Nose & Throat (ENT) Doctor.
The question of whether a tongue-tie is affecting feeding, and whether a release/division is appropriate, should only be determined after obtaining a thorough feeding history, observing a full breastfeeding or bottle feeding session and completing a physical assessment of tongue function by a qualified tongue-tie practitioner or an IBCLC/midwife that has received the extra training to assess the tongue function.
At The Family Zone, we use the The Tongue-tie and Breastfed Babies (TABBY) assessment tool (adapted from The Bristol Tongue Assessment Tool (BTAT), and the Hazelbaker Assessment Tool for Lingual Frenulum Function (ATLFF) which is the gold-standard for assessing severity.
To book in with our team for a Tongue-Tie consultation, please contact us here.