A tongue tie, also known by its scientific name ankyloglossia, happens when the strip of tissue under the tongue (called the lingual frenulum) is shorter or tighter than usual. This tissue connects the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth, and when it’s too tight, it limits how far the tongue can move. You might notice this if your baby struggles to lift their tongue or move it from side to side.
This restriction can affect how a baby feeds, especially when breastfeeding. A baby with a tongue tie may not be able to latch properly, which can lead to frustration for both the baby and the parent. As the child gets older, this lack of tongue mobility can also make it harder for them to say certain sounds clearly or keep their mouth closed at rest.
While some tongue ties are easy to see, others are less obvious and harder to detect without training. Because of that, it’s always important to get assessed by a professional.
Tongue ties also vary in how severe they are and in how they affect each child. Some babies with a tongue tie have no feeding or speech problems at all, while others experience several challenges.
This guide explains what parents need to know about tongue ties and how to deal with them.
Symptoms of a Tongue Tie
Tongue ties can show up in different ways depending on your child’s age and how tight the tissue is under their tongue. Some symptoms are easy to spot in babies, especially during feeding, while others become more obvious as a child grows and starts speaking. You might notice a combination of feeding difficulties, speech issues, or problems with oral habits.
In babies, feeding is the most common area where tongue tie symptoms appear. A tight frenulum can make it hard for your baby to latch properly during breastfeeding or bottle feeding. This can lead to frustration for both you and your baby.
Common feeding-related symptoms include:
- Difficulty latching
- Frequent clicking sounds while nursing
- Poor weight gain
- Short, frequent feeding sessions or very long ones
- Gumming or biting the nipple instead of sucking
- Pain during breastfeeding
As children grow, tongue ties can affect speech and oral habits. If the tongue doesn’t move properly, it may be hard for your child to pronounce certain sounds, especially those that need the tongue to touch the roof of the mouth or upper teeth. You might also notice your child struggling to lick, clean their teeth with their tongue, or stick it out past their lips.
Other signs may involve how your child breathes or holds their mouth at rest. Children with tongue ties often breathe through their mouths or keep their mouths open during the day and at night. This can affect how their face and jaw develop over time.
You may also notice:
- Mouth breathing, especially during sleep
- A high or narrow roof of the mouth
- Difficulty keeping the mouth closed when not speaking or eating
Some children with tongue ties don’t show obvious symptoms, but that doesn’t always mean the tie isn’t causing problems. If you’re noticing feeding, speech, or breathing issues that don’t seem to improve, it’s worth getting a professional opinion. A pediatric dentist or lactation consultant can help you figure out whether a tongue tie might be the cause.
Difference Between a Tongue Tie and a Lip Tie
Tongue ties and lip ties both involve tight or thick bands of tissue, but they affect different parts of the mouth and can cause different issues.
A tongue tie happens when the lingual frenulum under the tongue is too short or tight, limiting how the tongue moves. This often affects breastfeeding, speech, and how a child swallows or keeps their mouth closed.
A lip tie, on the other hand, involves the tissue that connects the upper lip to the gums. When this tissue is tight, it can make it hard for a baby to flange their lips while nursing, create a gap between the front teeth, or cause irritation where food and milk collect. While both conditions can exist on their own, they sometimes appear together.
If you suspect one or both may be affecting your child, a pediatric dentist can check for both during an exam.
If you are looking for information on lip ties, which are a similar condition, we have a complete guide to lip ties as well.
Issues a Tongue Tie Cause
A tongue tie can cause problems with feeding, speech, oral hygiene, and facial development, depending on the severity and the age of the child. While some children show no symptoms, others face daily challenges that affect their comfort, development, and routines. Recognizing these problems early can help you decide whether to seek treatment or support from a professional.
Feeding Issues
Feeding problems are often the first sign of a tongue tie, especially in babies. When the tongue can’t move freely, it’s harder for your baby to latch properly and stay latched during breastfeeding or bottle feeding. This can lead to shallow sucking, clicking sounds, leaking milk, or frequent breaks. You might notice your baby feeding for long periods without seeming full or gaining weight slowly. Pain during nursing is also common for parents, as babies may bite or compress the nipple instead of using a proper suck.
Speech Issues
As your child grows, a tongue tie can begin to affect how they speak. Certain sounds, like “t,” “d,” “l,” “s,” and “r,” require the tongue to lift and move with control. When that movement is limited, your child might struggle to form these sounds clearly. You might hear slurred or unclear speech, or your child might avoid words that feel too hard to pronounce.
These issues can affect confidence and may lead to speech therapy if not addressed early.
Oral Health Issues
A limited range of motion in the tongue can make it harder for your child to clear food off their teeth and cheeks after eating. This can lead to more plaque, cavities, and general oral hygiene issues.
The tongue also plays a role in swallowing and saliva flow, which help clean the mouth naturally. If your child has a tongue tie, brushing and flossing might not be enough to maintain good oral health without extra support.
Facial Development Issues
Tongue ties can influence how a child’s face, jaw, and mouth grow over time. When the tongue sits low in the mouth or rests in the wrong position, your child may develop a habit of mouth breathing. This posture changes how the muscles around the face and jaws work and can result in a narrow dental arch or high palate.
These changes affect how the teeth come in and how the airway forms, which may cause sleep or breathing issues later on.
Each of these areas—feeding, speech, hygiene, and growth—connects back to how the tongue moves and functions. If you notice signs in one area, it’s worth checking whether the tongue is playing a role. A full assessment can help you decide what support your child needs.
How Do You Diagnose a Tongue Tie?
Don’t Diagnose at Home
It can be tempting to check for a tongue tie yourself, especially if you’re seeing signs like poor latch or speech difficulties. But diagnosing at home isn’t reliable, even if you’ve read about it or seen examples online. Some ties are hard to see without training, and not every tight-looking frenulum causes symptoms.
Trying to figure it out on your own can lead to unnecessary stress or even the wrong decision about treatment. If you have concerns, it’s better to talk to someone who works with children’s mouths every day.
Get Assessed by a Pediatric Dentist
A pediatric dentist has the training to examine your child’s tongue movement, feeding patterns, and oral development in one visit. They look beyond how the tissue appears and check whether the tongue works the way it should. In some cases, they’ll coordinate with a lactation consultant, speech therapist, or bodyworker to build a clearer picture.
If your child does have a tongue tie, the dentist can explain your options and help you decide what to do next. Getting a professional opinion gives you a clear plan and peace of mind.
What To Do If Your Child Has a Tongue Tie
If your child has a tongue tie, there are several ways to manage it depending on how it affects feeding, speech, or growth. The first step is to connect with professionals who understand how tongue ties work and how they affect the rest of the body. You don’t have to go straight to surgery—many families start with support that helps the child adapt or improve without needing a procedure.
A Lactation Consultant Can Help with Feeding
When tongue ties cause feeding problems, a lactation consultant is often the first person who can help. They can watch how your baby latches, how milk flows, and whether the tongue moves in a way that supports nursing.
A good latch is hard to achieve when the tongue doesn’t move freely, and a lactation consultant can offer hands-on help and strategies that may reduce pain and improve feeding. They also know when it’s time to refer you to someone else for further evaluation.
A Body Worker Can Address Tension Related Issues
Some tongue ties cause tension in the muscles of the head, neck, and jaw, which affects how your child feeds, breathes, or holds their posture. Bodyworkers like chiropractors, osteopaths, or physical therapists work with this tension through gentle hands-on techniques. They look at how your child moves and how their body is aligned, especially around the mouth and jaw.
This kind of therapy can help prepare your child for a tongue tie release or even make it unnecessary in some cases. It’s especially helpful before and after treatment to support healing and prevent the tissue from tightening again.
Surgical Release with a Frenectomy
If other strategies don’t resolve the symptoms, a frenectomy may be recommended. This is a minor procedure where a dentist or surgeon uses a laser or scissors to release the tight tissue under the tongue. The procedure is usually quick and done in the office, but proper preparation and aftercare are important.
Before surgery, some providers recommend working with a myofunctional therapist to train the tongue for better movement. After the release, stretching exercises help prevent the tissue from reattaching. This step should be part of a larger plan that supports healing and long-term improvement.
Should Your Child Get a Frenectomy?
At Kids Dental Group, we recommend starting with non-surgical options and monitoring your child’s symptoms before deciding on a frenectomy. A tight frenulum doesn’t always require surgery, especially if feeding, speech, or breathing can improve through support from a lactation consultant, bodyworker, or myofunctional therapist. These treatments often help relieve tension and improve function without needing a procedure.
The procedure is also more complex for children under four years old because they are not able to do the required aftercare exercises on their own. This means that you will need to help with regular tongue stretches, which can be uncomfortable for your child and stressful for you. The difficulty with these exercises also means there is a higher chance of reattachment in this age group.
If you’re thinking about a frenectomy, it’s important to speak with a pediatric dentist first.
What is a Frenectomy?
The Frenectomy Procedure
A frenectomy is a short procedure that releases the tight band of tissue under the tongue. At Kids Dental Group, we use a laser to do this because it reduces bleeding and allows for a faster recovery. The dentist gently lifts the tongue and uses the laser to remove the tight frenulum, which usually takes just a few minutes. Most babies breastfeed right after the procedure, and older children can return to regular activity the same day.
The procedure itself is usually not painful, especially for newborns. We use either a topical numbing gel or a small amount of local anesthetic to keep your child comfortable. There are no stitches, and the laser helps seal the area quickly. While the release is quick, the real focus shifts to how the tongue heals and whether your child learns to use it in new ways.
Aftercare and Healing
Aftercare is one of the most important parts of the healing process. Once the frenulum is released, the tissue needs to be kept from reattaching. This means doing tongue stretches several times a day to keep the wound open as it heals. These stretches are simple but can be uncomfortable, especially for babies and toddlers. For children under four, you’ll need to do the exercises for them, which can be challenging and emotional.
For older children, we often recommend working with a myofunctional therapist both before and after the procedure. This helps retrain the tongue muscles, prevent scar tissue from limiting movement, and improve long-term results. Without therapy or proper aftercare, the tissue can grow back too tightly, which may require another release later.
Healing usually takes one to two weeks. During this time, you may notice some fussiness or difficulty with feeding as your child adjusts. Support from your dental team, therapist, or lactation consultant can make the process easier. If you stay consistent with aftercare, your child has a better chance of healing well and using their tongue freely.
Kids Dental Group Can Help
If you’re worried that your child might have a tongue tie, or if you have questions about whether treatment is the right step, Kids Dental Group is here to support you. Our team of pediatric dentists has experience diagnosing and managing tongue ties in children of all ages, and we take a careful, personalized approach to each case.
We’ll assess your child’s tongue movement, review feeding or speech concerns, and walk you through all your options—including non-surgical care. If treatment is needed, we’ll guide you through every step of the process, from preparation to aftercare.