It’s Crucial to Detect Tongue or Lip Ties in Infants Before It’s Too Late
7 Warning Signs of Tonge-Tie in Infants
October 3, 2022Published on October 8, 2022, Updated on October 8, 2022
In infants and toddlers, tongue and lip ties are typical dental issues. This is a disorder that many parents fail to recognize and that, if left untreated, can lead to health problems such as difficulties swallowing, gagging or vomiting food, choking, and speech impairment. It is vital that you undergo care immediately.
Table of Contents
Tongue and Lip Tie: What Is It?
A tongue tie, or ankyloglossia, is a congenital disability in which the frenulum that usually keeps the tongue in place is too short, rendering the tongue incapable of functioning correctly. A lip tie results from a highly tight labial frenulum that presses the upper lip into the gums. Infants and children frequently experience tongue and lip ties.
It is imperative to treat tongue and lip ties in infants and children, so they do not compromise oral health and self-esteem.
What Are The Consequences of Tongue and Lip Ties?
Untreated tongue and lip ties can lead to future complications and health dangers. Some potential complications caused by tongue and lip ties are given below.
- Breastfeeding difficulties in infants such as having insufficient milk supply, weight loss, fussiness, and pain.
- Tongue ties can create speech problems by making it more challenging to generate the sounds r, s, t, d, and l. Lip ties make it harder to produce the sounds m, b, and p.
- Lip-tie patients have a gap between their two front teeth. The tongue-tie can cause gum recession by pulling against its gums on the rear of the teeth.
- Due to an underdeveloped palate, tongue-tie can cause breathing problems, most notably sleep apnea, resulting from a constricted airway. Lip ties limit lip movement and prevent lips from closing completely, resulting in open-mouth breathing.
- Tongue and lip ties can induce TMJ, resulting in persistent headaches, jaw, neck, and back discomfort.
- The limited movement of the tongue and lips can make it difficult to clean teeth and remove food particles from the mouth, resulting in poor oral hygiene.
- Children with tongue and lip ties may experience embarrassment while communicating with others because they pronounce words differently.
How Are Tongue and Lip Tie Treated?
A frenectomy is a solution for tongue and lip ties. A frenectomy is a standard surgical procedure in which a laser or sterile dental scissors alter or remove excess frenulum from the mouth. It is a minimally invasive procedure that usually takes 15-30 minutes to finish. Treatment is safe for patients of any age, but local anesthesia may be given if needed.
A frenectomy has the same risks as any other surgical procedure. Minor bleeding is to be expected and is completely natural.
Make an appointment with a dentist or pediatric dentist before committing your baby or child to such treatment. Because of their training and experience, they may examine your child’s mouth and offer a full report on their oral health, including any necessary dental x-rays. Your dentist will explain the process and help you decide if frenectomy is the right choice for your child’s condition.
Do you require a dentist to treat your child’s tongue and lip tie? Our specialists will be delighted to assist you and your child with their oral health needs. Make an appointment today.
