How To Tell If Your Child Is Tongue Tied And How To Correct It

Growing up, I remember my youngest brother being tongue tied, the sad part was we did not notice it until he was about a year old. At first we just thought he was just a late talker but it was getting worrisome as months went by, probably because he was already a very active child and so the fact that he had not started talking stood out.

It was when he was taken to the hospital that the doctor checked him and found out he was tongue tied. Immediately the doctor asked us to bring him the next day so he could fix it, within a month of having his tongue fixed my brother started talking. What bothered me personally about the situation was the fact that it could have been noticed earlier and corrected earlier also.

Tongue-tie also known as Ankyloglossia is a condition present at birth that restricts the tongue's range of motion. With tongue-tie, an unusually short, thick or tight band of tissue ties the bottom of the tongue's tip to the floor of the mouth. A person who has tongue-tie might have difficulty sticking out his or her tongue.

Tongue-tie can also affect the way a child eats, speaks and swallows, as well as interfere with breast-feeding. Although some cases of tongue-tie have been associated with being genetic, that is, tongue-tie sometimes runs in families and it's more common in boys than girls.

Tongue-tie can affect a baby's oral development,the way he or she eats, speaks and swallows. It can also lead to:

• Breast-feeding problems- The baby might chew instead of suck on the nipple which can interfere with a baby's ability to get breast milk which will in turn lead to inadequate nutrition.
• Speech difficulties. Tongue-tie can interfere with the ability to pronounce certain letters such as t, d, z, s, th and l. It can be especially challenging to pronounce "r."
• Poor oral hygiene.

• Tongue-tie can interfere with activities such as licking an ice cream cone, licking the lips, kissing or playing a wind instrument

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You can tell that your child is tongue tied if he/she has difficulty lifting the tongue to the upper teeth, sticking out the tongue or moving the tongue from side to side.

If you notice any of these signs in your child, make sure you take your child to a pediatrician for examination. The doctor would be in the best position to treat your child probably by cutting of the tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth and apparently it is not as painful as getting your ears pierced and recovery doesn’t take long.