Tongue Ties

A tongue tie (ankyloglossia) is a congenital condition in which the lingual frenulum—the band of tissue connecting the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth—is abnormally short, thick, or tight, restricting the tongue's range of motion. Tongue ties can affect breastfeeding in infants, speech sound production in children, and oral function throughout life. The severity of restriction and its functional impact vary widely.

In infants, tongue ties may contribute to difficulty latching, painful nursing for the mother, inadequate milk transfer, poor weight gain, and excessive gas or reflux. In older children and adults, tongue ties may affect articulation (particularly sounds requiring tongue elevation such as /l/, /r/, /t/, /d/, /n/), eating, oral hygiene, and may contribute to orofacial myofunctional disorders.

Speech-language pathologists play an important role in the assessment of tongue ties, evaluating both the structural restriction and its functional impact on feeding, speech, and oral motor skills. When a frenectomy (surgical release) is recommended, pre- and post-surgical myofunctional therapy is essential to ensure optimal outcomes by retraining the tongue to use its newly available range of motion effectively.