Tongue-Tie

Symptoms

Some experts believe that tongue-tie does not cause symptoms. Others believe that it can lead to feeding difficulties, changes in speech, and personal or social problems related to restricted tongue movements.

Babies

A breast-fed baby with tongue-tie may have:

• Difficulty latching on to the breast and sucking, which may cause your nipples to become sore.
• Poor weight gain, because the baby gets tired and stops sucking before he or she is full.

A breast-fed baby must use his or her tongue to move the milk from the milk glands of the breast into the nipple. A bottle-fed baby with tongue-tie usually does not have any feeding problems, because it generally is easy to get milk from the nipple of a bottle.

When on solid food, a baby with tongue-tie usually does not have any feeding problems.

Children

Children with only partial attachment of the tongue to the bottom of the mouth may have no problems related to tongue-tie. The lingual frenulum may stretch as the child grows, or the child may adapt well to the restricted tongue movements.

Some children with tongue-tie develop speech problems. They may have difficulty making (articulating) the sounds, such as t, d, z, s, th, n, and l, that require the tip of the tongue to rise. To articulate these sounds, your child may keep his or her mouth opening small and alter the tongue placement.

You also may notice that your child with tongue-tie:

• Has a space between the front lower teeth where the lingual frenulum protrudes during speech.
• Cannot lick his or her lips, lick an ice cream cone, or use the tongue to remove food from the teeth.
• Complains of discomfort or cuts under the tongue.
• Has a notched or heart-shaped tongue when it protrudes.
• Has difficulty playing a wind instrument.

Your child may feel embarrassed or be ridiculed by other children because of this condition.

Adults

Tongue-tie is rarely seen in adults, and it generally does not cause problems. But the adult with tongue-tie may:

• Not be able to protrude the tongue beyond the lower teeth.
• Have difficulty wearing dentures because of poor fit.

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Author:	Debby Golonka, MPH	Last Updated: September 6, 2007
Medical Review:	Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics
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