1.What is a short tongue tie? Some people may say, “Do we need to ask this? The truth is that not only parents are vague about this issue, even doctors do not have very clear and accurate criteria to judge. Of course, there are rough criteria, including three: (1) The tongue cannot move freely forward, and the tip of the tongue is in the shape of a “W” when forcibly stretched forward. Most people, including some doctors, base their judgments of short tongue ties on this one. However, it is also important to know the second rule. (2) Difficulty in tongue uplift. What degree of difficulty is considered difficult? This is a matter of opinion. One simple way to determine this is whether the tip of the tongue goes over the lower lip when the child extends the tongue (or if it does, there may still be a “W” shaped tongue tip). Of course, there is also number 3. (3) The presence of tongue roll and palatal articulation disorders. This one is a bit difficult for parents and non-specialists, especially those who speak with a southern accent. In addition, many parents want to solve the problem before the child learns to speak, so this article is a little less workable. 2. How old should a child be to check whether the tongue tie is too short? As a doctor, I welcome your consultation at any time. However, you can’t tell if the tongue tie is too short just by growing it. If your child’s baby teeth have not yet come in, the tongue tie may be attached to the tooth bed in such a way that the tongue tie looks short. As the child’s baby teeth, especially the lower incisors, come in, the lingual tether moves down and becomes loose. In other words, it gets longer. Therefore, it is not advisable to rush to determine whether the lingual tether is too short before the baby teeth come in. When do the lower milk teeth come in? Usually around 6 months of age. Therefore, it would be more accurate to check if the tongue tie is too short after the child is at least 6 months old and above 1 year old. 3.When is the best time to treat a short tongue tie? As mentioned above, the best time to diagnose a child with a short tongue tie is above the age of 1 year. The common treatment time in China is 1~2 years old, which is basically the time when children start to learn to speak. It is worth mentioning that, according to foreign scholars, even if a child with a diagnosis of short tongue tie is diagnosed, less than 14% of them can be confirmed to have dysfunction. This is why speech therapists abroad do not place much emphasis on surgical treatment of the tongue tie. In addition, if the child is young but has an ulcer due to the tongue tie rubbing against the teeth, surgery should be performed as soon as possible.