Are You Tongue Tied?

Tongue Tied or Ankyloglossia is defined as a person having a short lingual frenum (membrane connecting under side of tongue to the floor of mouth) that prevents full range movement of the tongue. Being tongue tied can cause problems with breast feeding, speech development, eating, and swallowing. It can also prevent good hygiene since the tongue plays an important role in sweeping food and debris from the teeth. The tongue is one o f the most important muscles for speech and swallowing.

Poor oral and dental hygiene because of limitations in tongue mobility or habitual incorrect tongue posture usually results in messy eating habits, with food debris remaining on teeth and lips, and causing dental caries. Commonly, excessive saliva is dealt with by the patient in different ways. Whereas the younger child may dribble profusely, older patients will maladapt, keeping their mouth small during speech, reducing the length of utterances or slurping loudly. Involuntary splashing of saliva during speech occurs frequently and embarrassingly.

Diagnosis can usually be done at a routine visit to our dental office. Early detection is best, therefore, we recommend that children be seen on their first birthday. The following characteristics are common on individuals who are tongue tied:

• V-shaped notch at tip of the tongue.
• Inability to stick out the tongue past the upper gums.
• Inability to touch the roof of the mouth.
• Inability to move the tongue from side to side.
• An infant being tongue tied can often lead to frustration when breast feeding because the infant is unable to latch on or may cause nursing mother significant pain.

Not all patients who have Ankyloglossia need to have treatment. This all depends on how limited the movement of the tongue is. If treatment is needed our standard of care is to remove the membrane to allow the tongue to move freely. The procedure is called a frenulectomy. This is a simple procedure that can be done by using a laser after a topical anesthetic is placed. The procedure takes less than a few minutes to complete and does not need any stitching. Some offices perform this with a scalpel which would then need stitching. This procedure can also be done by just “clipping” the membrane, but the membrane can eventually grow back. This is why our standard is removal with our Waterlase laser. This procedure can be done as early as newborn through adulthood and does not require complicated aftercare...maybe some oral rinses.

If left untreated, adult patients may find that they snore because of the Ankyloglossia. When the tongue does not have free motion it may block the patients airway. Having a frenulectomy is normally a simple procedure with rarely any complications. If you or your child has any of the above symptoms, this simple procedure should be considered because of its many long term benefits, which include:  restoring ease of speech, better nutrition, and self esteem.