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Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia)

Ankyloglossia · Přirostlý jazyk (ankyloglosie)

What it is

A short, tight band (frenulum) tying the tongue's tip to the floor of the mouth in about 1 in 20 babies; most cause no problem, some make breastfeeding hard.

Symptoms & signs

  • Heart-shaped tongue tip
  • cannot lift or poke out the tongue
  • poor latch, clicking, long feeds
  • sore nipples in the mother
  • speech problems rarely

🚩 Get help if…

  • see a doctor soon Baby not gaining weight or with few wet nappies
  • see a doctor soon Painful, cracked nipples despite good latch help
  • see a doctor soon Clicking or losing the latch at every feed

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Feeding assessment by a lactation expert first
  • Snipping the frenulum (frenotomy) — improves mother's nipple pain in small trials; baby's feeding evidence weaker mixed evidence
  • Cutting for speech or 'posterior ties' — little evidence, rising overuse not confirmed in trials

Natural & lifestyle

  • Positioning and latch support

Emerging & experimental

  • Standard criteria for who needs cutting

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Laser release of 'posterior' and lip ties by chiropractors or dentists — no trial evidence; bleeding and feeding aversion not confirmed in trials
  • Bodywork (craniosacral therapy) for latch — no evidence anecdotal / traditional

ICD codes