Best Tongue-Tie Surgery in India

Tongue-tie, which is also known as ankyloglossia, is a congenital condition – meaning it is present at birth – that limits the mobility range of the tongue. The cause of this condition can be traced to an abnormally tight or short lingual frenulum, a strip of tissue that is present between the floor of the mouth and the underside of the tongue. Owing to this limited movement, a person who is tongue-tied may find it difficult to stick out his/her tongue – and the tongue is shaped like a heart or irregularly shaped.

More so, a tongue-tied child will often experience feeding and speech impediments thus informing the need to visit a clinic nearby to see a doctor. Nevertheless, it is yet possible to see a child having tongue-tie not showing any sign of impairment. Tongue-tie can be hereditary and this is why parents – who have once had to deal with the deformity – are advised to ensure that a medical expert runs a proper check on their baby’s tongue. Nursing mothers with babies having tongue-tie will have some difficulties when breastfeeding them as the baby may end up chewing the nipple – rather than sucking it – since the tongue can barely rise above the lower gum. But then, it is not only the mother that will get to suffer sore nipple or inflammation of the breast as a result of the baby’s chewing action, the child may experience profound weight loss due to poor breastfeeding.

Complications Associated with Tongue-Tie

 It is not uncommon to see those who overlook the need to have tongue-tie medically addressed/treated as they (erroneously) feel there is nothing much to it. However, as one would have it with other deformities, it is important that one does not take chances in the face of the complications that might arise as a result of tongue-tie. Some of these complications are now briefly discussed:

• Poor dental health: The prospect of an affected individual’s dental health being compromised is something that cannot be ruled out in this situation. With the tongue being less mobile, food particles can stay on your teeth for long since you may not reach where they are when brushing [your teeth]. This ultimately creates a space where germs can thrive, leading to the development of tooth decay, inflammation of the gum, and other oral infections.
• Compromised movement of the temporomandibular joint: The temporomandibular joint is located between the head and the jaw, and contributes significantly to mouth functional mobility when one is speaking, sucking, kissing, or chewing. As swallowing through the normal route becomes largely impossible for tongue-tie patients, the food may be redirected to other parts – like the temporomandibular joint – of the mouth thus causing functional compromise around the area. The risk of having misaligned dentition is also increased with the misdirection [of foods] that occur therein.
• Sleep Apnoea: Sleep apnoea is characterized by irregular breathing patterns, and this has been reported to accompany tongue-tie. The reason is that the abnormal orientation – e.g., dental misalignment problems – and/or functional compromise caused by tongue-tie can eventually cause the reduction and/or collapse of the upper airway size. When left unaddressed, sleep apnoea portends a notable danger to tongue-tie
• Speech Impediments: Speech impediments remain one of the most prominent symptoms of tongue-tie, and the patients often find it tough to sound certain letters – like ‘d’, ‘l’, ‘r’, ‘s’, ‘t’, ‘th’ and ‘z’ – aright.
• Poor quality of life: In view of the other complications that are associated with tongue-tie, it is not hard to imagine the extent to which the quality of life of an individual with the disorder will not be reduced. More so, besides the health issues, certain psychosocial problems may also arise.

Treatment/Management of Tongue-tie in India

There are occasions where experts have used intervention such as speech therapy and lactation/feeding support to manage tongue-tie, but surgeries remain the express means through which the disorder can be effectively taken care of.

Pre-Operation Considerations

Having made up your mind to go for surgery, you will probably be looking at meeting a specialist to fix the surgical appointment. Prior to the surgery, the surgeon will thoroughly assess your situation, reviewing your medical history, and then moves to present you with the surgical procedure that is best for you. After this, he/she may fill you in on what the selected procedure entails. Other considerations that precede the surgery could hover around the fact that you are not expected to eat or drink anything some hours before the operation, and some other instructions that might be deemed necessary.   

Surgeries for Treating Tongue-Tie

There are quite a host of surgical procedures used in correcting the issue of tongue-tie, and this has been highly successful. More so, these surgeries do not always cause patients much pains or swelling as the frenulum has only a few nerves and vessels. Let us briefly look at some of the most commonly used surgical procedures in this regard.

• Frenotomy: Before embarking on the operation proper, the attendant plastic surgeon at our clinic will have the patient undergo close examination. This would enable him/her to draw out the best possible way to arrive at a highly satisfactory result. Now to the protocol; the surgeon will have the patient lying on the back, with the face-up, and then use local anaesthesia to numb the area that is to be operated on. After this, he/she makes an incision on the frenulum. With the incised frenulum now loosened up, the surgeon can either release it from being too tight or completely get rid of it – as he/she might have deemed fit for the patient’s situation. Dissolvable stitches are then used to close up the incision and the procedure is brought to an end.
• Frenuloplasty: This involves the cutting and reattachment of the frenulum and it is usually recommended in instances whereby other tongue-tie procedures have not yielded satisfactory outcomes. Frenuloplasty is also suitable when there is a recurrence of tongue-tie. It relatively takes more time to complete than frenotomy as it is more intensive. To begin with, the patient may be placed under local or general anaesthesia – general anaesthesia is mostly used for little children. The surgeon then uses a special stitch to draw back the tongue for him/her to have unrestricted access to the frenulum. The surgeon will then make one vertical incision and two horizontal incisions on the frenulum. The horizontal incisions will be placed in such a way that they are 90 degrees to the incision on the vertical side – by this, two rectangular flaps are created. Thereafter, he/she will reposition the flaps and then apply stitches to secure them.

Other types of surgical protocols for treating tongue-tie are electrocautery and tongue-tie laser surgery which are non-invasive techniques. In the latter, the surgeon uses a laser tool – rather than scalpel – to carry out the severance of the strip of the tissue holding the tongue. On the other hand, electrocautery involves the application of heat, through electricity, to do the cutting. These two procedures promote speedy healing and also, cause less bleeding. The use of any of these may, however, depend on the severity of the patient’s case.

Risks Associated with Tongue-Tie Surgery

Although the probability of having complications during and after tongue-tie surgery is slim, there have been cases where a few undesirable occurrences have subsisted. That said, some of the risks that may be associated with tongue-tie surgeries are:

• Infection
• Scarring
• Allergic reaction to anaesthesia
• Excessive bleeding
• Obstruction of the airway

Postoperative Care

After the surgery, pain relievers and probably some other drugs will be administered to the patient. The patient will also be asked to feed on soft foods for the first few weeks after the surgery, and he/she should engage in tongue-stretching exercises for 4 – 6 weeks post-operation. These exercises are intended to help strengthen the muscles of the tongue thereby boosting its (prompt) mobility. The recovery period for tongue-tie surgery is generally short and the patient can resume normal activities as soon as possible. 

Cost of Doing a Tongue-Tie Surgery in India

Frenotomy or any other tongue-tie surgery is quite cost-effective and can assure excellent results. But then giving a precise cost may not be logical considering that every patient’s case is unique in some ways. An evaluation must be done to know what the patients will be needing in order to have a successful operation. That said, the following factors may determine the cost of a tongue-tie surgery may include:

• Severity of patient’s condition
• Surgeon’s fee
• Antibiotic prescription
• Location of clinic

A patient may, however, consider how health insurance packages could be valuable in easing the cost implication of frenotomy.

The Esthetic Clinics: A Safe Place to Have Tongue-Tie Surgery

Our clinic is highly revered in India, and we have some of the best plastic surgeons you will find around the world. One of such is Dr. Debraj Shome who is internationally recognised as a cosmetic surgeon. The Esthetic Clinics is fully prepared to provide you excellent tongue-tie surgery service – with no hassle or complications. You can contact us to make an inquiry today.