Does your infant struggle to attach and breastfeed? It might be due to a lip- or tongue tie. If your baby has this condition, our pediatric dentists can diagnose it and decide whether or not treatment is required. Getting lip and tongue tie for infants allows them to resume breastfeeding successfully and comfortably.
But before, let’s get to know about what tongue and lip tie is:
What is Tongue Tie?
A tongue tie refers to a fibrous-looking short or long tissue; it can also be thin or dense, depending on the baby. The tongue frenum or frenulum is the formal name for this piece of tissue. Its opposite, the lingual frenum, extends from the mouth’s floor to the base of the tongue.
Our tongue tie center in Tampa is here to aid your child in treating the back (posterior) and front of the tongue (anterior). The function and symptoms the tethered tissue causes are more important than how the tissue looks.
This is why an accurate evaluation requires the expertise of a healthcare professional with the appropriate training, such as a monofunctional therapist. Look out for a board-certified lactation consultant, a pediatric dentist, or a speech-language pathologist.
What are the Symptoms of Tongue Tie-in Babies?
- Latching issues with the breast or formula.
- Slender clasp
- Sound of clicking while feeding
- Slow or insufficient weight gain
- Gassiness
- Colic
- Reflux or a lot of spitting while feeding
- A prolonged period of breastfeeding
- A poorly mobile mouth
To put it simply, tongue-tie-related can significantly impact a baby’s ability to latch onto the nipple; not only is this a problem for the baby, but it can lead to damage and excruciating agony for the nursing caregiver since it can result in either excessive or inadequate milk production due to ineffective or irregular nursing.
What is Lip Tie?
An infant is said to have a lip tie if the maxillary frenulum, a length of tissue that connects the top lip to the gums, is larger or thicker than usual.
Additionally, it might impact dental growth and make it difficult to get a good seal on the breast or bottle during feeding.
Lip ties are less frequent than tongue ties, a similar disease that occasionally co-occurs. There is evidence to suggest that tongue and lip connections are inherited traits. As long as a baby is gaining weight as directed by their pediatrician, lip ties are not harmful to them. But a lip knot is simple to treat once it has been identified.
How Do You Remedy Lip and Tongue-Tie?
Our pediatric dentists are experienced in identifying tongue-ties and lip-ties and determining how they affect your child’s ability to eat, grow, and develop. They can quickly perform a procedure to loosen a tongue- or lip tie if required. Additionally, they can work with your medical team to ensure that your child receives lactation, speech, and physical therapy support for the best possible recovery.
Laser surgery has several advantages over cutting the frenulum; it cauterizes the incision to reduce bleeding and speed up recovery. Our experts use a dental laser during a frenectomy to divide the frenulum, allowing the tongue and lip to move more freely. Infants experience little to no pain during the process, so anesthesia is typically unnecessary for kids under six months old.
Post Operative Care Tongue Tie Surgery in Tampa
Following lip- or tongue-tie release surgery, your child’s dentist may advise physical therapy exercises to help regain full range of motion and prevent the frenulum from reattaching. Deciding whether to address your infant’s tongue tie can be challenging. Our Tampa Tongue Tie Center will provide you with professional diagnoses and details to choose the best course of action for you and your child.
Our Tampa tongue tie and lip tie center focuses on pediatric dentistry and provides family dentistry. Every new patient is welcome!