Tongue Tie Release. Have you ever heard about this term called Tongue Tie Release? Well, if not heard, have you ever seen or come across babies with an issue to talk, swallow, eat or drink only because their tongue is tied/ attached with an extra string under their tongue?

Rarely seen in babies this is a disease the babies are born with. Though it is not a life-threatening issue, the baby can face many problems due to uncomfortable tongue that does not let them do the complete work that normal people do with their tongue. Be it swallowing, eating, sucking, drinking or talking clearly, everything becomes hard for the babies with this Tongue Tie Release.

Fortunately, even the severe cases of tongue-tie can be treated by cutting the frenulum which is called a renectomy. There are few more procedures followed depending on the condition of the baby and doctors consultation.

The reason for Tongue Tie

There are only two causes found for Tongue Tie. One is that the fraenum (frenulum – a small fold of tissue/skin or a mucous membrane that controls or restricts the motion of an organ in the body) is too small or tight and the other is it might have failed to develop properly during the pregnancy and is still attached to the tongue.

How to identify if the baby is having a Tongue Tie?

Ensure that you are consulting your doctor or paediatrician if you find or experience the below points.

  • Baby finds difficult in latching
  • The weight gain is slow and not as per your expectation
  • The baby’s mouth makes a clicking sound while feeding
  • The baby chews more than suck
  • Feeding takes lots of time
  • Is always hungry
  • Flatted or squashed nipples after breastfeeding

Treatment for tongue-tie

Earlier, the doctors used to perform an operation where the frenulum under the tongue was cut in babies. Whereas today the doctors inclined to wait and see if the attachment can naturally be solved or wait till the baby is in the condition to get operated. For babies less than 12 weeks, using the local anaesthesia surgery is performed holding the baby’s head firmly, after which also the babies can be breastfed immediately. For children and adults, general anaesthesia is given and surgery is performed which may take a few weeks to heal. Along with this, the speech therapy might be required for older children and adults after the surgery.