Tongue Tie, Lip Tie and Treatment

What is Tongue Tie?

There may be serious conditions where the tongue is completely attached to the floor of the mouth, while there may be conditions where it is completely asymptomatic and does not cause any discomfort or limitation. Tongue tie (ankyloglossia) can sometimes regress with age.

Tongue tie, which can cause sucking and feeding problems in newborns because the tongue cannot be moved, can also cause speech disorders, gaps between the lower front teeth, gum recession behind the lower front teeth and periodontal problems in later ages.

In cases where the tongue tie is short or thick, there is usually limited movement in the tongue and when the tongue is protruded, the tongue tip takes the shape of a "heart" or "v". In more advanced cases, the tongue may not be lifted up towards the palate, may not be protruded and the person may not be able to lick their lips.

What methods are used to make a diagnosis?

There are many methods used to make a diagnosis. During the examination, the limited movement of the tongue is taken into account, speech is evaluated and some letters are checked. The letters that are most difficult to say are usually the letters "s" and "r". In addition, it is checked whether there is a gap between the lower front teeth and whether there is gum recession, and the teeth and surrounding tissues are checked. In newborns, the baby's mouth and tongue structure are examined.

The biggest factor in the treatment of tongue tie is speech disorders and in the vast majority of cases, speech improves after treatment. With the exercises recommended before and after treatment, recovery is comfortable. The treatment of tongue tie is surgically cutting the tie or removing the tissue with a laser.

Surgery can remove all or part of the ligament, or the tongue can be freed. Frenectomy is the procedure of removing the entire ligament.

In laser treatment, tissue can be removed without the need for anesthesia, with only topical anesthesia, without pain or bleeding, and there is no need for stitches after the procedure.

Laser treatment is more comfortable than traditional methods, there is less pain during and after treatment, and fewer feeding and speech complications. Recovery is also faster than traditional methods.

Should Tongue Tie Be Removed?

The American Pediatric Association recommends that tongue-tie be removed as soon as possible after it is noticed that it is short, thick or attached. In this way, structural changes in the tongue, feeding and swallowing problems, tooth and gum problems, and speech problems can be prevented before they occur or become serious. There is no need to wait for a certain age to have tongue-tie removed.

Lip frenulum, like tongue tie, is found in everyone and is the soft tissue connection where the lip is attached to the gum. These connections, which can sometimes be in the form of a thick band, can cause gaps between the upper front teeth, gum recession and periodontal problems. The thick and band-like lip tie is usually genetic.

The treatment is surgically cutting the ligament or laser removal of the tissue, as in the treatment of tongue tie. Laser is frequently preferred today due to its advantages such as comfortable, painless, bleeding-free and quick recovery. In order to remove the lip frenulum, it is usually waited for the upper canine teeth to appear. If the gap between the upper front teeth has not closed despite the canine teeth erupting, then the decision to remove the ligament is definitely made.

Specialist Dt. Cansu Uzun Önalan