A person's tongue has important functions, not only as an important organ for us to eat, but also to help us digest food better, and to assist us in pronouncing words and achieving communication with others. The tongue has a significant impact on us, so does a baby's tongue shape affect their speech?
If diagnosed as having a W tongue, meaning the tongue appears in the shape of the letter W when raised, it indicates that the baby's lingual frenulum is too short. Under normal circumstances, a baby's tongue tie is located at the front end of the tongue. As the months increase, the tongue tie will grow to the back end of the lower part of the tongue, and the tongue will be able to function normally. The tongue frenulum of W tongue is short, and the tongue cannot move flexibly, which will definitely affect the baby's speech.
A short frenulum on the baby's tongue can also affect other functions of the baby, such as their lower food intake compared to normal babies. Due to the short frenulum, the tongue cannot wrap around the nipple well. If you don't have enough to eat, your body will lack nutrients, and your body's resistance will be poor, forming a vicious cycle. When babies grow up, not receiving treatment can also undermine their confidence and make them unable to lift their heads in front of their classmates.
Babies with short tongue should be detected and treated early, but it is not necessarily better to do so earlier. It is best to do so after three months and before the age of three. During this stage, their bodies grow quickly and can recover quickly after surgery without leaving any symptoms.
