What is ankyglossia and how do you treat it?

Approximately five per cent of newborns are born with a short or tight fold of fraenulum membrane that extends further forward than normal, which can dramatically restrict the movement of the tongue. This is known as partial or full ankyloglossia, or ‘tongue-tie’. In a newborn, ankyloglossia can often interfere with breastfeeding success. Breastfeeding problems arise with many babies who are tongue-tied. The problem more dramatically affects first-time mums because the hypothalamus of experienced mothers’ brains has a more autonomic (involuntary) biological response to suckling.

This is a minor surgical procedure, where the infant is swaddled to keep it immobile, then the releasing of the membrane is done by a ‘snipping’ of the fraenulum using a pair of sterile iris (blunt-ended) scissors. It is a safe, simple and effective procedure. In infants, this is an almost bloodless procedure and no local anaesthesia is required. For more information, pictures and descriptions, a great reference is the website by renowned dentist Brian Palmer at www.brianpalmerdds.com.