Newborns are incredibly fragile and prone to many infections and diseases, which is why it’s so vital that they receive the proper nutrition from breast milk. Unfortunately, a disease that can prevent babies from receiving this essential nourishment is Tongue tie. Tongue ties make it difficult for a baby to properly suckle on their mother’s breast, leading to poor growth and development due to a lack of vital nutrients. Therefore, parents must be aware of the signs of tongue tie in newborn babies so they can get appropriate treatment as soon as possible.

This article will discuss tongue ties, from their symptoms to treatment. So read along and get yourself enlightened.

What Are Tongue Ties?

Tongue ties, or ankyloglossia, are conditions in which the tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth, known as the “lingual frenulum”, is too short or thick(1). This can cause difficulty with breastfeeding for both baby and mother. It can also lead to difficulties with speech development and oral hygiene problems such as cavities later in life.

In Babies:

Tongue tie is a common condition in newborns that can significantly affect their ability to feed and develop properly. This restricts movement of the tongue, which can cause difficulty with breastfeeding and bottle-feeding due to an inability of the baby’s mouth muscles to form a seal around the nipples or bottles, resulting in poor milk transfer from the mother/bottle into the baby’s stomach.

It may also impact speech development if left untreated, as babies cannot practice proper articulation exercises needed for language development, such as sucking on pacifiers or using their tongues correctly during speaking activities like babbling.

In Older Kids:

Signs of tongue tie in older children can often be overlooked or misdiagnosed. While the condition is most commonly associated with babies and infants, it can also affect older children. A tongue tie may lead to difficulty speaking clearly, chewing food properly, and even swallowing correctly.

Symptoms of Tongue Tie

The symptoms of this condition vary from person to person, but there are some common signs you should look out for if you suspect someone may be suffering from it. (2)

One symptom associated with tongue tie is difficulty breastfeeding due to an inability to latch on properly, which causes pain for both mother and baby during feedings.

Speech impediments like lisps could also occur due lack of mobility in their tongues, making it hard to pronounce words correctly while talking at an average rate. Additionally, speaking clearly may become difficult because certain sounds require full range motion for them to be produced correctly, such as “t”s or “d”s which requires sticking out one’s tongue further than usual.

Lastly, individuals who suffer from this issue often report having trouble swallowing food since they cannot move their tongues enough to push food down their throats, causing discomfort when eating solid foods.

Other signs in babies may include:

• Clicking noises while nursing.
• Slow weight gain due to inefficient feeding from inadequate milk transfer.
• Excessive fatigue after feedings.
• Improper poor lip closure.
• Excessive drooling
• Gagging while eating solid foods due to the inability to move food around inside their mouths correctly.
• Frequent choking episodes during meals could be caused by inadequate saliva production needed for proper digestion.
• Persistent sore throats from not being able to swallow quickly enough because too much force is required from lack of mobility within their tongues.

If any signs are observed, professional medical advice should be sought immediately so that further assessments can occur, leading to possible treatment options if necessary. If left untreated, these issues could cause long-term problems with oral health and social interaction difficulties among peers making diagnosis at early stages essential.

Treatment For Tongue Ties

Treatments are available for those who suffer from this condition, which can help improve their quality of life. (3)

• Frenectomy: The most common treatment for tongue ties is a frenectomy or lingual frenotomy procedure, which involves cutting away some tissue under one’s tongue to loosen it up (4). Hence, they have more freedom with movement and speech clarity improves drastically afterwards. The procedure takes about 15 minutes, but recovery time varies depending on your case’s severity. However, due to its quick nature, most patients recover within 1-2 weeks after surgery with minimal discomfort during the healing process. Additionally, it has been proven effective in improving speech clarity and overall comfort levels associated with ankyloglossia since no further intervention will be needed once it has healed properly.

• MFT: In addition to surgical procedures, non-invasive therapies are available, such as myofunctional therapy (MFT), which focuses mainly on stretching exercises designed specifically for individuals suffering from this condition (5). Thus helping them gain better control over their tongues movements while increasing strength at the same time too! MFT has shown great promise when combined with traditional methods like laser surgery or even braces/splints used by orthodontists to alleviate any lingering symptoms post-operation if needed making sure the patient receives the best possible outcome.

It’s essential to know about uncommon deformities like tongue ties, which can adversely change the lifestyle. Timely treatment can help give the person or newborn better health and personality. Tell us about your experience dealing with tongue ties in the comment section below and how you’d discover and treat it. Happy parenting.