Published on October 3, 2022, Updated on October 3, 2022
When a newborn develops a tongue-tie, it might prevent them from obtaining adequate nutrition and create developmental problems. Your baby might develop airway problems that require myofunctional surgical procedures to fix if treatment is neglected. Between 4% and 11% of newborns and infants may develop tongue-tie. Up to 25% of babies may have tissue behind the tongue, although not every infant requires surgery or therapy to fix the condition.
It is easy to diagnose if your baby or toddler has a tongue-tie. These common signs that your baby could have this illness are listed below.
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It is unmistakably a sign that something is wrong when breastfeeding causes pain. Due to their difficulty moving their tongues properly, babies with tongue-ties generally have trouble latching. Ineffective latching and feeding can cause engorged breasts and broken nipples, which can cause mastitis. See about Ankyloglossia.
A baby with a tongue tie won’t be able to seal around the breast well, which will cause clicking sounds as the suction keeps breaking. Sometimes a click is normal and doesn’t mean anything is wrong, but if it hurts or the baby isn’t gaining weight as expected, it might mean the baby has tongue-tie.
Your child’s failure to breastfeed effectively might be due to movement problems brought on by tongue-ties. Additionally, a baby with tongue tie may struggle to gain weight if the mother is unable to breastfeed adequately.
An infant that is gassy and irritable most often has a tongue knot. This is because a child with a tongue tie finds it difficult to create a tight seal over the breast; as a result, the child inhales too much air when eating, which results in gassines.
Mastitis is a breast infection or breast inflammation that reduces a mother’s capacity to produce milk. Recurrent mastitis is a problem when a newborn has tongue-tie because the baby can’t adequately feed themselves. Due to milk stagnation and increased pressure in the duct and lobe system of the breast, this might appear in mastitis.
When the mouth is closed, a tongue that is in normal function rests on the roof of the mouth, which helps the palate take on the proper shape. When the tongue is tied, it cannot rest on the palate and instead have a high, and narrow position.
Newborns with tongue-tie frequently have a sunken chin, although some infants will have this feature due to heredity even if they do not have tongue-tie.
It is necessary to do a comprehensive examination to identify whether your infant has a tongue-tie since for many parents, being able to breastfeed is an integral aspect of motherhood. If you believe your baby may have this problem, please contact our dental office right away.