Heart-Shaped Tongue: Causes and Treatment

QUESTION: My 7 month old daughter was born with a "heart-shaped" tongue. The
tissue that connects under the tongue extends all the way to the tip of her
tongue. What is this called? Is it painful? How might it affect her? What
is the recommended treatment? What causes this?
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ANSWER: Slow down, mother, and we will try to answer all your concerned
queries. If we are both on the same wavelength, and I understand your
description correctly, the name of this tissue is a "Frenulum" or "frenulum
linguae" to be specific. The name comes from a Latin word that means "a
bridle or curb". It usually causes no pain, but observing your baby should
convince you about that. In the past it has been associated with a condition
called "tongue-tied" that provoked speech difficulties, but this does not
always occur. It is a rather simple procedure to cut this thin, fragile
tissue, and release the tongue completely. Your own physician is the best
advisor on this, for an examination is the only way to fully evaluate the need
for this. There is no specific "cause" for the existence of a frenulum;
everyone has one. It's just that it develops more in some babies than others.
Here is an interesting side light. Many of us have used dissecting kits
during our educations, in high school biology, for example. Those kits
usually came with a probe, useful for exploring anatomical structures. One
side of the probe had a flattened, heart-like shape, provided with a slit down
the middle. This was originally designed to hold up the tongue, placing the
frenulum in the slit, and making cutting this tissue a real breeze. With a
simple procedure to correct any problems, it shouldn't be as frightening to
you any more, and I hope you are feeling better about it now.