Your Care Instructions

In tongue-tie, the tissue that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth is too short. This problem often runs in families.

Your child may not be able to fully move their tongue. But this may not cause problems. In some cases, the tissue stretches as the child grows. Or it gets used to less movement.

Some children have trouble latching on to the mother's breast to feed. Or they have trouble bottle-feeding. Others have speech and social problems. If your child has bad symptoms, surgery may be needed to loosen the tissue.

How can you care for your child at home?

• If you are breastfeeding your baby, talk with your doctor to learn how to help your baby latch on and suck well. You also will want to be sure that your baby is getting enough milk and growing well.
• If your child has speech problems, ask your doctor about speech therapy.
• If the speech problem doesn't improve with therapy, you may want to think about surgery to loosen the tongue.

After surgery

• After surgery, your child's tongue may bleed a little. You can give your child acetaminophen (Tylenol) for any discomfort.
• Do not give your child two or more pain medicines at the same time unless the doctor told you to. Many pain medicines have acetaminophen, which is Tylenol. Too much acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be harmful. Read and follow all instructions on the label.
• Do not give aspirin to anyone younger than 18. It has been linked to Reye syndrome, a serious illness.
• If your child has a more complicated surgery, your child will have stitches under the tongue. Your child may need to do some tongue exercises many times a day for 4 to 6 weeks. These will help improve tongue movement. And they will prevent scar tissue.