What should I do if my baby’s tongue is short?

Many people may not have heard of tongue tie and rarely pay attention to it. Tongue tie is also called tongue tendon. Under normal circumstances, tongue tie allows our tongue to flexibly extend out of the mouth and lick the philtrum or the upper front teeth. Most newborn babies may have a short tongue tie. So what should we do if the baby has a short tongue line?

According to medical investigation, the ratio of male to female babies with tongue tie is 2.3~2.7:1.0. This means that boys are more likely to have tongue-tie than girls. The specific manifestation of tongue tie is that the baby's tongue tip is not the normal "V" shape but a "W" shape. The tongue cannot extend forward freely. The part that extends out of the mouth is not as long as that of a normal baby. Moreover, when the tongue extends forward, it will be pulled by the tongue muscles, causing a depression.

A short tongue tie may affect the baby's eating, making it difficult for the baby to suck or chew food normally. During breastfeeding, milk leakage may occur. In addition, due to the small space for the tongue to move, chewing food will be difficult, and eating is often slow. The tongue is also prone to rubbing against the lower front teeth, causing oral ulcers, which will have a certain impact on the baby's healthy development.

However, if the baby's tongue tie is really too short, mothers don't need to worry too much. The treatment of a short tongue tie is very simple. As long as you communicate with the doctor in advance, you can perform tongue tie surgery on your baby under local anesthesia. In most cases, this is a relatively minor disease, so the surgical risk is correspondingly low.

However, most medical experts believe that if you want to treat tongue-tie, it is best to schedule the surgery when the baby is 4 and a half to 5 and a half years old. Because the baby's tongue tie is still very thin at this time, the amount of bleeding during the operation will be relatively small, making it easier for the wound to heal and less likely to leave scars. Most importantly, the baby at this stage already has a certain ability to distinguish and can cooperate with the doctor during the operation, which can not only reduce the baby's own pain, but also will not cause any impact on the child's future.