What is Tongue Tie

A tongue tie is a web of skin that holds the tip of the tongue down to the floor of the mouth. This sometimes causes talking or eating difficulties. It is not the fault of either parent. The tongue tie is called ankyloglosia from the Greek words ankylo, which means difficulty in moving and glosa which means tongue. It happens in about 3 to 4% of children and is more frequent in boys compared with girls (some studies show that it is twice as common in boys than girls).

The Operation

Leaving things as they are does no harm. You may find that your child's talking problems get better within the next few months. If not, cutting the tongue tie is all that is needed. Bigger operations with stitches are no better. There are no drug treatments or creams for tongue tie.