When they see that their children have reached the age of learning to speak but they cannot speak or slurred , many parents fear that their children will be stuck on the tongue. For babies, sticking to the tongue also makes it difficult for them to breastfeed. So what is normal for a newborn’s tongue ? Here are the normal features of a newborn’s tongue:

• The child can move the tongue to the sides.
• The child can lift the tongue and reach the upper jaw.
• If crying, the tip of the baby’s tongue can be seen to have a V-shape.
• Children can take their tongue out from the jaw 1-2mm.
• The baby’s tongue is normal and does not affect breastfeeding

The tongue is a small band of tissue that connects the base of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. Tongue adhesion is a birth defect that affects children’s eating and speaking activities.

Infants with tongue tie often have the following signs:

• The short blade brake limits the movement of the tongue.
• The child cannot bring the tip of the tongue out and cannot touch the upper palate.
• If crying, the tip of the baby’s tongue can be seen as a heart shape.
• The tip of the blade is flat and square instead of the usual pointed tip.
• The lower front teeth are tilted or there is a gap between the two incisors.
• Newborns with tongue-tie have difficulty suckling or speaking.

Based on the length of the tongue brake, it can be divided into 4 levels as follows:

• Level 1: The child has a mild tongue tie, the tongue brake is 12-16mm long.
• Level 2: The child has moderate tongue-tie, the tongue brake is 8-11mm long.
• Level 3: The child has severe tongue tie, 3-7mm long tongue brake.
• Level 4: The child is completely stuck on the tongue brake, the tongue brake is less than 3mm long.

When seeing that the child has difficulty sucking (for infants) or pronouncing and suspecting that the child has a tongue tie, it is best for parents to take the child to a medical facility that specializes in Odonto-Stomatology for diagnosis and treatment. accurately assess the degree of adhesion of the tongue brake in the child, from which there is a basis to appoint the surgery to remove the tongue brake if necessary.

Indications for tongue-tie clipping in infants with tongue-tie also depend on the degree of tongue-tie and how difficult the child is when sucking or pronouncing words. Tongue ablation is usually indicated with severe or more severe laryngospasm and severely affects the infant’s sucking and speech.

For older children, in addition to sticking to the tongue causing difficulty in speech, doctors will also examine and evaluate before surgery to look for other reasons affecting the child’s pronunciation.

The technique of cutting the tongue brake in an infant with a tongue brake can be done by holding the baby’s head firmly, then injecting or applying anesthetic and then using an electric knife to cut the tongue brake. After surgery, the baby can breastfeed right away.

In older children, to perform the technique of cutting the tongue, it may be necessary to apply anesthesia or anaesthesia, then use a scalpel or burner to cut, finally suture and the wound may heal after a few weeks. .

After laryngectomy in infants and young children, parents need to take care of the child according to the instructions of the doctor. For young children, do not allow them to suck on or bite hard objects to avoid bleeding and infection.

In addition, it is necessary for children to drink plenty of water and after each meal should clean their mouths. In older children, parents need to practice correct pronunciation after surgery to remove the tongue.

Observe and recognize the normal tongue image of an infant in order to promptly detect anomalies of the tongue and treat and care for the child appropriately, helping the child to develop normally and be healthy.