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Dear Doctor Ombeva,
I have a speech impairment that makes me speak as a child learning how to speak. I am 26 and it really embarrasses me. Some people understand the impairment but others don’t and end up misunderstanding me. I would like to inquire if I can get surgical correction for the problem. If yes, kindly guide me on where to find the treatment and how much it can cost.
Answer
Tongue tie is an anomaly in the mouth which a person is born with. It is caused by an unusually short, thick lingual frenulum, which is a membrane connecting the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. The severe form involves the tongue being tied to the floor of the mouth.
A person who has tongue-tie might have difficulty sticking out his or her tongue. Tongue-tie can also affect the way a child eats, speaks and swallows, as well as interfere with breast-feeding, and this problem can indeed extent into adulthood. Tongue-tie sometimes runs in families.
Speech difficulties occur because the tongue-tie can interfere with the ability to make certain sounds. Tongue-tie in childhood can be treated with a simple surgical procedure called a frenotomy, done with or without anesthesia in the hospital. For older children or adults, as in your case, who are experiencing difficulties with tongue-tie, frenuloplasty, a surgical correction can be done under general anesthesia.
After the frenulum is released, the wound is usually closed with sutures that absorb on their own as the tongue heals. I would recommend you first visit a speech therapist to assess whether there are other causes of speech problems other than tongue tie. One we establish that your speech difficulties are mainly due to the tongue tie, you will then visit any general surgeon at any of our regional or county or national referral hospitals and have the surgical correction done.
Complications of frenuloplasty are rare, and may include minimal bleeding, infection, or damage to the tongue or salivary glands and scarring. After frenuloplasty, tongue exercises may be recommended to enhance tongue movement and reduce the possibility of scarring occurring.
Dr Ombeva Malande is a paediatrics and child health expert
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