Why can't my baby stick out his tongue?

Newborn babies learn about the world through their tongues, and then use other sensory organs, such as hands, feet, and skin, to slowly feel and understand the world. Most babies like to stick out their tongues, which is normal. However, some babies cannot stick out their tongues. Parents do not need to worry about this situation. The inability to stick out the tongue may be due to abnormal development of the tongue tie. It is recommended to take your baby to the hospital for examination first.

The frenulum of the tongue is commonly known as the tongue muscle. When the child opens his mouth and pries up the tongue, you can see a thin strip of tissue connecting the tongue and the bottom of the mouth. This is the frenulum of the tongue. A normal frenulum of the tongue allows the tongue to move freely, and the tip of the tongue can naturally extend out of the mouth, or lick the upper gum. However, the frenulum of a few children develops abnormally, and the frenulum of the tongue may be too short (commonly known as tongue climbing). The clinical manifestations are that the tongue cannot extend forward freely and normally, the part of the tongue extending out of the mouth is not as long as that of a normal child, and when the tongue extends forward, the tip of the tongue becomes concave due to being pulled by the tongue muscles, and the tip of the tongue becomes W-shaped (the tip of a normal person's tongue is V-shaped when it is extended). It may also affect breastfeeding or rub against the lower front teeth, causing ulcers. When the child opens his mouth, the tip of the tongue cannot curl up, lick the upper gum or extend over the upper lip, which will affect normal pronunciation when the child is a little older.

A short tongue tie not only affects pronunciation, but also has a great impact on chewing function. People with a short tongue tie have difficulty chewing because of the small space for the tongue to move. They chew very slowly when eating, and swallow more when eating with others.

The tongue is a highly mobile organ composed of longitudinal and transverse intrinsic muscle bundles. The frenulum under the tongue is a fold of mucosa that connects the front of the tongue to the floor of the mouth and usually contains some muscle fibers. The frenulum connects the lip, cheek or tongue to the alveolar mucosa and/or gingiva and the periosteum beneath it. Tongue-tie is a congenital disease. The main clinical manifestations are: the tongue cannot move forward freely or tongue extension is limited. When the tongue tip is forced forward, it becomes "W" or heart-shaped; at the same time, it is difficult to lift the tongue tip, resulting in retroflex sounds and tongue and palate pronunciation disorders. Tongue-tie deformity often causes sucking, chewing and speech disorders. Tongue-tie is considered a relatively common abnormality, with a prevalence of between 4% and 5%. The male-to-female ratio is approximately 2.3-2.7:1.0. Treatment options include observation, speech therapy, frenotomy without anesthesia, and frenulum repair under general anesthesia.

The tongue is an active organ. If the baby is found to be unable to stick out the tongue, parents should take the baby to the hospital for examination as soon as possible. Although in most cases, tongue-tie is a relatively minor disease, it should be resolved as soon as possible for the baby's physical and mental health.