Gentle Tongue Tie And Lip Tie Solutions For Your Little One!

By Author: Smiles Concepts
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What is aTongue Tie?
A tongue tie is a piece of tissue that holds the tongue to the floor of the mouth.

Doctors do not always agree on how to identify tongue-tie, especially if it is mild.

Because of this, it is difficult to say how common it is.

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Some studies have shown that about four per cent of babies have tongue-tie.

Others found it to be much more common, affecting about 11 per cent.

You may be told that it is inherited, but, in fact, this has yet to be proved.

How can I tell if my baby has tongue-tie?
Sometimes the doctor identifies tongue-tie during your baby’s first routine check-up at birth.

A midwife may put her finger in your baby’s mouth to check the roof of his mouth and his tongue.

But a tongue-tie is not always easy to spot.

It may not be found until later, for example, if your baby has feeding difficulties.

If you and your baby are finding breastfeeding difficult, you can ask your midwife, child health nurse or doctor to check for tongue-tie.

What is the normal function of the tongue?
In an ...
... infant, a normal tongue moves around freely and is not confined by teeth and therefore extends outwards between the upper and lower jaw.

Whilst swallowing the infants keep their jaws parted and the tongue is placed between gum pads to produce a vacuum for swallowing (called the infantile swallow).

At 2.5 years of age when all the milk teeth have erupted, this “infantile swallow” is replaced by the adult swallow.

Here the lips are closed, the jaws bite together and the tip of the tongue is raised and pressed against the front part of the upper jaw.

What isAbnormal Tongue
Function?
A tongue tie occur in children whose tongue is attached to the floor of the mouth and as a result can’t move the tongue around.

It may impede speech and many babies can find it difficult to suckle if they have are tongue tied.

Mothers, midwives and doctors see this often.

How can I tell if my baby has tongue-tie?
If there is a tongue tie in a newborn or a tongue tie in an infant then they do not outgrow their infantile swallow and continue to swallow with their jaw apart.

How does tongue-tie affect feeding?
Many babies with tongue-tie may not have any feeding problems at all. But because the tongue can’t move freely, other babies may:

Have trouble latching on
Slip off the breast while feeding
Not gain weight as expected
If your baby is struggling to feed because of tongue-tie, this may leave you with painful nipples and a feeling of frustration.

These are common problems early on in breastfeeding, but for most mothers and babies they improve over time.

If these troubles last longer than six weeks, it may be a sign that your baby has tongue-tie.

Of course, breastfeeding difficulties may not be because of tongue-tie at all.

A lactation consultant will help identify the causes of breast feeding difficulties and if tongue tie is severe and causing problems will refer you to us.

How does tongue-tie affect my child’s speech development?
Tongue-tie is sometimes blamed for speech problems.

However, there’s not much evidence to prove a link. In one small study, children’s speech problems improved after a minor operation to correct it.

Laser resection ofTongue Tie
Tongue tie surgery is carried out under topical (cream) anaesthetic on the tongue tie.

We can precisely and painlessly remove the tissue making it very comfortable for your baby.

It takes practically 2 – 3 mins to perform but some cooperation from the patient is required to keep still.

There is no bleeding afterwards, no sutures and hardly any discomfort.

Tongue tied babies can suckle immediately after the procedure! It is a truly amazing way to have surgery.

Children go to school the day after and adults can go back to work the same day.

Eating is normal.

Lasers are an excellent alternative to scissors or a scalpel as a means to incise soft tissue. In laser terms the tissue is “ablated”.

Light energy is used to incise tissue rather than cutting that occurs with scissors or scalpels.

The use of lasers in surgery has a distinct advantage over other methods for a number of reasons: it reduces the collateral damage as it is more precise and cuts layer by layer, it is bactericidal (kills bacteria as it ablates), reduces oedema, swelling and inflammation and therefore allows for better healing through the concept of photobiomodulation.

Laser Resection of lip tie
With a lip tie, together with an anaesthetic cream, a local anaesthetic may also be used. This procedure is also painless and takes about 2 to 3 mins to perform.

There may be some bleeding with this procedure which generally stops within 5 to 10 mins.

Smile Concepts are the leading Sydney dentist, specialising in general, advanced and cosmetic dentistry. Book an appointment today at Sydney CBD or Five Dock.