Ankyloglossia, also known as tongue-tie, is a congenital disorder that restricts the movement of the tongue. Tongue-tie occurs when the tongue’s frenulum is too short or tight, tethering the tongue to the mouth’s floor.

It prevents the tongue from moving freely, which can cause problems with breastfeeding, speaking, and eating.

Infants with tongue-tie may exhibit any of the signs and symptoms listed below 

1. Under the tongue, a thin or thick vertical slice of skin can be seen.

2. Even with an open mouth, the baby is unable to thrust the tongue outwards.

3. Lack of capacity to raise the tongue to the roof of the mouth

4. There is no side-to-side movement of the tongue.

5. A tongue tip with a V-shape, heart-shape, flat shape, or a square shape.

Treatment for a tongue-tied baby

1. Frenotomy

A frenotomy is a straightforward surgical technique that can be performed in the hospital nursery or at a doctor’s office with or without anesthesia. The doctor checks the lingual frenulum before snipping it away with sterile scissors and because the lingual frenulum has few nerve endings and blood vessels, the surgery is rapid and painless. 

2. frenuloplasty

If additional repair is required or if the lingual frenulum is too thick for a frenotomy, a more thorough treatment known as a frenuloplasty may be performed. A frenuloplasty is performed with surgical tools under general anesthesia. The wound is normally repaired with sutures that absorb on their own when the tongue heals after the frenulum is freed.

Nwachineke Onyeke Chekwube reporting, Obinwannem news writer/ November 1, 2021