Tongue-Tie is a condition in which the thin or thick piece of skin under the baby’s tongue (the lingual frenulum) is abnormally short and may restrict the movement of the tongue tip or the body of the tongue. Lip-Tie is where a piece of skin under the upper lip (the labial frenulum) is very short or thick and is pinned too tightly to the upper gum that prevents sufficient flanging of the lip.
While ideally treated in infancy, we are firm believers it is never too late to benefit from the outcome of treatment.
What is the effect of tongue and lip tie?
Restrictions such as Lip and Tongue Ties can effect far more than the mouth. At different stages of an individual's life, different effects may take place. Please refer to the symptoms for both infants, children and adults from the list below.
While ideally treated in infancy, we are firm believers it is never too late to benefit from the outcome of treatment.
The following are some more symptoms we may experience:
INFANTS
Poor latch, unable to sustain a latch
Colic & excessive gassiness
The baby often loses suction whilst feeding and sucks in air
Reflux
Difficulty with adequate milk intake
Poor weight gain
A clicking sound may be heard whilst the baby is feeding
Falling asleep on the breast
Extended nursing episodes
Unable to develop a deep enough latch
Early weaning from the breast
Tongue cannot be moved sideways
Tongue cannot protrude beyond the baby’s lips
Tongue tip may be notched or heart-shaped
Restricted mobility interferes with bottle feeding
Gap between the front teeth
When extended, the tongue tip may look flat or square instead of pointed
Difficult for babies to attach to the breast or bottle correctly as it is harder for them to maintain a good seal
Restrict movement of the upper lip preventing it from being able to flange or ‘pull out’
CHILDREN
Inability to chew age-appropriate solid foods
Gagging, choking or vomiting foods
Persisting food fads
Difficulties related to dental hygiene
Persistence of dribbling
Delayed development of speech
Deterioration in speech
Behaviour problems
Dental problems starting to appear
Loss of self-confidence because they feel and sound ‘different’
Airway issues
Mouth breathing
Snoring
ADULTS
Inability to open the mouth widely affects speech and eating habits.
Always having to watch their speech
Inability to speak clearly when talking fast/loud/soft
Difficulty talking after even moderate amount of alcohol
Clicky and/or painful jaws
Migraines
Protrusion of the lower jaws
Multiple effects in work situations.
Effects on social situations, eating out, kissing, relationships
Dental health, a tendency to have inflamed gums, and increased need for fillings and extractions
Sensitivity about personal appearance
Emotional factors resulting in the rising level of stress
Tongue tie in the elderly often makes it difficult to keep a denture in place.
Any symptoms that may mean you or you or your child have a restricted frenum, commonly known as a lip and tongue tie. Don't worry, it's nothing unusual! In fact, it occurs in approximately 5% of newborns.
Visit the KIDS website for the full information about Lip and Tongue Tie and its treatment.
Contact KIDS to book in for a consultation for a frenectomy of the lip and/or tongue-tie assessment today!.
* Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
Payment Plans
DentalCareXtra likes to provide you with options to help you achieve the best Oral Health Care with ZipMoney and Denticare,
-(1).jpg)
_001.png)
.jpg)
