Tongue-tie or ankyloglossia, is a condition present at birth that restricts the tongue’s range of motion. This can cause difficulties with sticking out your tongue, eating, speaking and swallowing. It can also interfere when a child is breastfeeding, making it hard for the baby to suck and painful for the mom to feed.
Treatment will depend on the severity of the tongue-tie; it is often fixed with a simple in office procedure.
While the cause is unknown, it is believed to be associated with certain genetic factors. Some doctors prefer to take a wait-and-see approach, as the band of tissue may loosen over time, but most prefer to surgically correct the condition. The physician will either perform a frenotomy, a simple surgical procedure that involves cutting the tissue, or a frenuloplasty, which is more complicated.
Call Camino Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic at (408) 227-6300 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
