Dr. Raghul M
M.Ch (Gold Medalist) • Pediatric Surgeon & Pediatric Urologist
Ankyloglossia, commonly known as tongue-tie, is a congenital condition where the lingual frenulum—the thin band of tissue securing the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth—is unusually short, thick, or tight. This tight tether anchors the tip of the tongue down, preventing it from lifting freely to the roof of the mouth or protruding past the lower gumline.
In newborns, the earliest sign of a tongue-tie is rarely obvious to the eye; it reveals itself through severe breastfeeding distress. The baby struggles to maintain a deep, comfortable latch, makes frequent clicking noises while nursing, takes in excess air leading to colic, and causes immense nipple pain and trauma for the nursing mother.
Dr. Raghul M
@dr_raghul_maniam • Clinical Reel
Tongue-Tie (Ankyloglossia) in Babies: Oral Hygiene, Speech Articulation and Timing Surgery Before Age 3
Click to watch reel
If an untreated tongue-tie persists into toddlerhood, it can begin affecting speech clarity and oral hygiene. Children with significant lingual restriction struggle to articulate lingual sounds that require elevating the tongue tip—such as 't', 'd', 'z', 's', 'th', 'n', and 'l'.
Furthermore, the tongue plays a vital natural role in sweeping food debris away from the teeth and molding the shape of the growing upper palate. A tethered tongue can contribute to dental plaque buildup, lower incisor gap widening, and difficulty licking ice cream or playing wind instruments as the child grows.
The decision to release a tongue-tie must be based on functional impairment, not merely appearance. When indicated, corrective release (frenulotomy) in infants is one of the quickest, safest procedures in pediatric surgery. Done in the outpatient clinic using topical numbing gel, the tight membrane is gently released with delicate sterile scissors or bipolar micro-diathermy in seconds.
There are no stitches, virtually no bleeding, and the baby is immediately handed back to the mother to breastfeed, which instantly soothes the infant and provides natural wound compression. For older toddlers, a brief daycare sedation ensures complete, pain-free release with full tongue mobility.
Further clinical guidance, parent guides, and surgical monographs curated by Dr. Raghul M.
Infantile hemangiomas are the most common benign vascular tumors of infancy, appearing in about four to five percent of newborns. They often...
Many parents visit our outpatient clinic worried after discovering a smooth, bluish, translucent 'water blister' on the inside of their chil...
Gallbladder stones are traditionally perceived as an adult ailment associated with middle age, high cholesterol diets, and metabolic factors...