About

Although education related to the topic of tongue-ties is improving, the impact of such a restriction is often excused or even ignored. With feeding difficulties, for instance, it might be said that the child is “easily distractible” or is “a picky eater.” With breastfeeding difficulties, the mother might be told that “It is supposed to hurt for six weeks,” or “All babies are gassy and fussy or spit up,” or “Your baby is just a lazy nurser.” Such advice is often well-intentioned and meant to be encouraging, but it ignores the problem or fails to even recognize the problem at all.

THE PROBLEM MAY BE A TONGUE-TIE.

 Some researchers estimate the prevalence of tongue-tie to be between 4% and 10% of the population, but the actual number may be higher because most studies don’t take into account posterior tongue-tie, which is a more difficult diagnosis. The real number of babies or children that are affected by tongue-tie is likely closer to 1 in 4.

A tongue-tie can be the hidden reason behind nursing difficulties in babies, feeding problems in toddlers, speech issues in children, and even headaches or neck pain in adults. Are tongue-ties the cause of all the world’s ills? No. But it is too often overlooked, misdiagnosed, and written off by many healthcare providers.