What is a tongue-tie?

As a baby develops in the womb, the tongue separates from the bottom of the mouth. A tongue-tie happens when the tongue does not separate enough. Some tongue-ties are thin while others may be chunky.

Some tongue-ties do not cause problems — babies can feed and older children can talk normally. Other tongue-ties do cause problems.

What are the benefits of tongue-tie division?

Your baby should be able to feed better, less often and for shorter periods of time.

Are there any alternatives to tongue-tie division?

Some tongue-ties divide on their own, or tear on the lower teeth or when your baby chews on something.

If the tongue-tie is causing feeding problems, dividing the tongue-tie is the only effective treatment.

What does the procedure involve?

Try not to feed your baby for 1 to 2 hours before the procedure.

If your baby is young and has no teeth, they will not need an anaesthetic. The healthcare team will gently wrap your baby so they cannot move around and then carefully divide the tongue-tie with surgical scissors. The procedure will not hurt your baby as there are very few nerves in that part of the mouth.

What complications can happen?

The healthcare team will try to reduce the risk of complications.

Any numbers which relate to risk are from studies of babies who have had this procedure. Your doctor may be able to tell you if the risk of a complication is higher or lower for your baby.

Some complications can be serious.

Tongue-tie division complications

• Discomfort
• Dark blood in your baby's nappy or a small amount of dark blood in their vomit. If your baby continues to bleed from the mouth and it does not get better with gentle pressure at the site of the bleeding for 10 minutes, contact your healthcare team.
• Infection.
• Ulcer under the tongue.
• Damage to the tubes that drain saliva. This is rare but serious.
• The tongue-tie coming back.
• No difference in how well your baby feeds.

How soon will my baby recover?

Babies under 3 weeks old usually go straight back to feeding. Older babies may take 1 or 2 days to settle.

Wounds in the mouth usually heal quickly.

You will need to re-teach your baby on how to breastfeed without chomping.

Summary

A tongue-tie joins the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. Dividing the tongue-tie should allow your baby to feed better and improve oral hygiene.

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