Tied Tongue Surgery or Not?

We had it done at seven days. He couldn't eat, couldn't stick his tounge out (and they couldn't pull it out) and couldn't even scream properly because his tounge litereally couldn't move. They numbed it, clipped it, no stiches, and he never woke up!! He is now three months, nursing like a champ and definantly able to scream like a champ. And....he is so cute when he sticks his tounge back out at me! Absolutley no regrets.

By the way, he got it from me, and they didn't snip me when I was little. Mine tore and was the most painful thing ever!!!

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While I don't have any kids who have tongue tie. It is very common in my family and 2 of my siblings had it and did the surgery at infants. He will always have speech problems and also think about the social impact of being bullied or laughed at because he doesn't talk right something so simple to perform would become even more expensive when you have to take him to speach therapy or being singled out at school for speach practice. Think about what he'll have to go through growing. You're a good mama for trying to protect your son from unnecessary surgery. This surgery is one that is needed. He'll be fine.

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Hi- I'm surprised that they would have to put him under. My daughter was tongue tied and we had breastfeeding problems. We had to search for a doctor that would do it. She was about 3 weeks old, it took about three seconds. He just clipped the skin literally with scissor type things. She cried a little and then latched on perfectly and we had no more feeding problems. Maybe your son's tongue is tighter than hers or maybe the age but I would do some online research and talk to a few different doctors before I put a 4 month old under. Just try to find out what the chances are that he'll have speech problems and wiehg them against the idea of operating on such a young baby.

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My newphew had it done and was the best thing. It was quick and fairly painless. He was so happy he could eat better. He had a hard time moving his food around in his mouth and sometimes gagged because of it. The doctor said he maybe a lil fussy for 24hrs, which he wasnt and even ate corn chips at dinner that night, the salt never irritatted it...
Good Luck!

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As an oral facial myologist, I suggest certainly have it clipped. It is a very easy thing to have done and it will make much difference in the face and tongue and speech and orthodontically. The tip of the tongue should be in the roof of the mouth at rest. If it cannot reach, the teeth will be mal-aligned and many many other problems with breathing eating etc. It can be done with laser and heals very quickly. Get it done as soon as possible and you will never know the consequences of not doing it. By the way it used to be done at birth as a matter of protocol. M.

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Do it!

When my dad discovered that my son was tongue-tied he was so happy we did the surgery. He told how HIS never did clear up on its own like the doc said it would (not all of them do). He told me stories of not being able to talk right until they finally DID do the surgery (he was born in 1940, so you can imagine). To this day he hates to talk in front of anyone, because of how hard it was to talk in his younger years.

My son had the surgery before he was a week old, because his tongue interfered with nursing. It was a quick, easy procedure. Mouth wounds all heal very quickly, too, so it should be over quickly.

My vote is to do it, and as soon as you can.

So much good luck to you!

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Do it ASAP! The sooner the better. Its quicker and less invasive than a circumcision, yet many parents still utilize this useless (besides religious beliefs) procedure. But a frenulum clipping is so useful! It helps them to feed better (especially if you are breastfeeding), speak better (regardless of years and many thousands of dollars in speech therapy), and so much more. There will be one quick scream and then you stick baby to breast (or bottle) and everything is forgotten. Hardly a drop of blood, less screaming than when they get shots, and a "normal" mouth. I've seen it done and its truly one very easy procedure.

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Hi.
My 9 mo old daughter also has a very tight tongue tie at 2 months our dr sent us to a ped ENT. He HIGHLY recommend waiting until she was at least 1 because I was not breast feeding. we went back for a follow up appointment for another issue last month and he said she is doing good... making all the noises she should be etc, so he said that he would even wait until she was between 2 and 3. If we wanted to do it sooner he would, but still recommended that we wait until she is at least 1 since they do have to be put under. We are waiting until she is at least 1 1/2 or maybe a little longer.
I would just say to do what YOU feel comfortable with and not rush it regardless of what the doctors tell you. There is no need to do it right way. Good luck!

Hello, Our first son had the same problem. However, it wasn't discovered until he was in kindergarten during one of those exams they used to do in school. He is now 40 years old. It was suggested that we have we also have his clipped. I took him to our doctor and told him about it. He asked why we were considering it. I told him that we had been told that he could develop speech problems. He had none at the time. I also told him that we were told that he should have been able to touch his tongue to his nose. The doctor asked if I could do it. I have to admit that I hadn't tried. Of course, I couldn't do it. He said to leave it alone and that it would correct itself or that our son would split it and it would be corrected that way. We left it alone and he has had no problems. I have to add that his (11 year old) son CAN touch his tongue to his nose. Odd. Why put your son through any uneeded pain.
Good luck with your precious baby.
K. K.

My baby is 6 wks and I am debating the same thing! Do you know at what age they start having to do the surgery under general anesthesia?

My son is "tongue tied" but I guess not tightly because no one has ever suggested the surgery. My mom is tongue tied as well and has not had problems.
BUT I think sooner rather than later is better for babies concerning most procedures.

I had a student this year in my fourth grade class who was born "tongue-tied". His speech was very hard to understand, and his mom thinks it's because she waited a while to get the surgery done and wishes she had done it sooner.

My son was moderately tongue tied at birth and at 7 days we has his tongue clipped. Even eith a moderate tongue tie, there is the chance of speech problems, that is why we chose to do it. My husband is still tongue tied, his parents never had it taken care of. He doesn't have any speech issues, he was able to adapt the use of his tongue, but he says that as a child, and even now as an adult, the attached skin causes him discomfort. It gets stuck between his bottom front teeth and he says he tore it once as a child. His doctor said that is the most common way children "self-correct" tis issue, and the thought of that just grosses me out. I'm glad we had it done at such a young age so he was awake and healed easily. The main reason we had it done was because of Breastfeeding issues with latching on, and once his tongue was clipped, he latched on without any problem - 5 minutes after the procedure. I know this might not help you with an older baby, but for any moms out therse reading thus with newborns, the procedure is REALLY easy. Good luck with your little one, I know the decision is difficult!

Hello L.,
If he has to go under during surgery, I'd consider the research done on learning disabilities. Here's the link.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1023....
Good luck,
Wendy

Hi there, my little boy also has a connected tongue (inherited from his Daddy) and like your ped, my sons Ped (and his dentist agreed) also said it was really not necessary to do surgery and we choose not to do it. My son just turned 2 on Sunday and he speaks so clearly and can even string 3 to 4 word sentences together. His connected tongue has not affected his pronunciation in any way, he is a smart and active little guy. BTW my husband has never had an issue with his connected tongue either. Follow your gut when it comes to your baby. Best wishes

My child, now 11, was tongue tied. As an infant, when he cried, I noticed he was pushing out his tongue, and I encouraged it by imitating his moves.
His tongue eventually was able to come out of his mouth. He has big lungs and a loud voice and I'm so glad he had learned, by himself and my prompting, to speak slowly and clearly and to articulate each word. No one would ever say he had any speech impediment and he is know as a great singer and orator at school. I believe, it was a blessing that made him choose his words carefully.

I'd say DO IT. I was too much of a wimp to have my son's done as an infant, but ended up having it done when he was 15 months. He was put under for this quick procedure. Though, there were no stitches. They used a sort of cauterizing laser so it just burned/cut the area. I'd say his recovery was pretty quick though. He never had any issues latching on while nursing which is why I didn't immediately do it when he was first born.

Here's my two cents...I was there when my younger brother had it done when he was a baby and it was awful...

Now...I'm all for doing what is necessary, but I don't agree you can know it's necessary yet. My oldest son was also born tongue-tied. I asked about if we needed it done and our pediatrician told us no. That they are moving away from doing them and that they most likely will grow out of it. And, guess what? My oldest grew out of it. He is now five and has always been a very verbal and VERY clear speaker. There is absolutely NO speech issue. I'm so glad that we waited to see how it would turn out. Unnecessary pain avoided!

Good luck!
-M

We found out in the hospital that my daughter was severely tongue tied. She couldn't nurse well at all and lost half a pound overnight (a lot when you are a day old!). We had her tongue clipped at three days old--it was harder on me than it was on her.

I was also tongue tied, though not as severely as my daughter. I had no trouble at all, speech wise or otherwise, and only got it clipped when I had my wisdom teeth removed and was going to be under anaethesia anyway. The recovery time for the tongue hurt worse than the teeth getting removed, though...

We debated the very same thing, and decided against the surgery. Instead, our daughter saw a occupational therapist once a week at Torrance Memorial from 6-9 months old. She is now 2, a constant talker, and has no residual issues. We were told the surgery was uneccesary at this young age because the tissue can easily we stretched to a normal position with therapy and the dangers of surgery can be avoided. Good Luck!

My kids all had different surgeries last year. They were 3 yrs, 5 yrs and 9 yrs. My two younger kids had their anodies taken out and tubes put in their ears. I would do the surgery sooner then later.
The recovery time was quick and the surgery was recommended.