tongue tie (tongue tied )
Last reviewed 01/2018
- a review has been undertaken to review the presenting features of tongue-tie in childhood and indications for frenulotomy, drawing conclusions from a retrospective study of patients encountered in paediatric surgical practice and from the literature
- the review concluded that there is no place for division of tongue-tie without
anaesthesia in the newborn. Speech difficulties related to tongue-tie are
over-rated and mechanical problems are underestimated
- the indications for frenulotomy include articulation difficulties confirmed by a speech pathologist, mechanical limitations such as inability to lick the lips, to perform internal oral toilet or play a wind instrument
- there may be rare instances in infancy where problems with feeding and suction can be helped by frenulotomy but evidence for this is anecdotal
- operation requires general anaesthesia except in older, co-operative teenagers in whom local anaesthetic is appropriate
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