Untying of the Tied Tongue: A Case Report

Ankyloglossia or ‘tongue-tie' is an uncommon congenital anomaly which is characterized by an abnormally short, thick and fibrosed lingual frenulum causing restriction in tongue movement and interferes speech articulation. Though it is found to be associated with some rare syndromes such as X-linked cleft palate syndrome, Kindler syndrome and van der Woude syndrome, most often it is seen as a separate entity in an otherwise normal individual. Here, a 20 year old female with tongue-tie complaining of difficulty in speech and limited tongue movement is reported. It was managed by frenectomy procedure under local anesthesia. In order to functionally rehabilitate the tongue, the patient then underwent tongue training exercises and speech therapy.