Up to 10% of newborns are born with ankyloglossia, a condition more commonly known as tongue-tie. The most common symptom for infants is difficulty with breastfeeding or bottlefeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics is raising concerns about the increasing use of surgeries, using scissors or lasers, to treat infants with tongue-tie, when research suggests these surgical treatments may not be necessary.
In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Rebekah Huppert, nurse and lactation consultant at Mayo Clinic, discusses how latching and feeding challenges caused by tongue-tie can be addressed with or without the need for any procedure.
Latching and feeding challenges can be caused by a number of issues. Tongue-tie can sometimes be to blame.
"Typically, the things that we see the tongue causing problems with are going to be the latch. Primarily, it's difficult for baby to get a hold of the nipple and pull it into the soft palate," says Huppert.
