My son has a tongue-tie

Mouth ulcers in a young boy

Why does my daughter get blisters in her mouth all the time?

Question
When my son was born the midwife noticed he had a tongue-tie. So far nothing has been done about it.

What is the usual course of treatment?

Answer
Thank you for your question.

Tongue-tie (also known as ankyloglossia) is relatively common, but in most cases is sufficiently mild not to present any long-term problems.

As these babies develop, the tongue and jaw elongate and the relative length of the flap of tissue holding the tip of the tongue to the floor of the mouth will shorten in relative terms so that no handicap to feeding or speaking occurs.

However, if it is causing problems with feeding then most experts now believe that early treatment of this is better than later as this can help mothers to continue breastfeeding rather than have to switch to bottle feeding.

The procedure is a simple one and should not need any anaesthetic in the first few months after birth. In fact, some babies have been known to sleep through the whole procedure!

The baby is gently wrapped up and the frenulum quickly snipped with sharp, blunt-ended scissors. Blood loss is minimal and feeding can be resumed immediately. Have a chat with your GP now and ask for this to be arranged locally.

Yours sincerely

Dr Roger Henderson, GP