Tongue-tie, also known as Ankyloglossia or low-lying Tongue, is a condition in which the frenulum, or tissue under the tongue that connects it to the floor of the mouth, is too short. This can cause multiple problems for an infant who has tongue-tie. This can cause a baby’s tongue to be “tied” to the bottom of their mouth and make it difficult for them to latch on and suckle at the breast or bottle. Tongue-tie can also increase your risk for breastfeeding complications like nipple pain, sore nipples and cracked nipples. For some babies, these difficulties may persist long after breastfeeding has been established.

In addition to feeding challenges, tongue-tie may also impact speech development, oral hygiene, and the ability to perform simple tongue movements later in life. Early diagnosis and treatment, which may include a simple surgical procedure called a frenectomy, can help resolve these issues and improve outcomes.

What You Should Know

Many parents are not well informed about the issue of tongue-tie. When a child has some sort of complication with breastfeeding, it is important for medical professionals to determine the specific cause to help the child solve the issue. Although understanding what tongue-tie is and knowing where the frenulum is located can be helpful knowledge when thinking about a baby with breastfeeding issues, parents of infants with tongue-tie issues are often never told this may be an issue.

Tongue-Tie Symptoms

Tongue-Tie Symptoms In Infants And Their Mothers

Tongue-Tie is often found because of problems breastfeeding. You may notice that your baby:

tongue-tie

  • Can’t latch well
  • Tends to chew more than suck
  • Doesn’t gain weight the way you’d expect
  • Feeds for a long time, takes a short break, and then feeds for another long stretch
  • Is fussy when trying to feed
  • Makes a clicking sound while feeding
  • Seems hungry all the time
  • Can’t move far from side to side
  • Can’t reach the upper gums or roof of the mouth
  • Can’t stick out past the gums
  • Has a V shape or heart shape at its tip when it’s sticking out

Along with your baby’s symptoms, the mother may have:

  • Pain during and after breastfeeding
  • Sore or cracked nipples
  • Mastitis, or inflammation or infection of the breast
  • Low milk supply

But tongue-tie isn’t the only reason there may be breastfeeding problems. So if you have them, talk to your doctor.

Tongue-Tie Symptoms In Adults

Due to limited tongue mobility, adults with tongue-tie often have difficulty with:

  • Speaking
  • Eating
  • Drinking
  • Breathing
  • Kissing
  • Sticking your tongue out of your mouth past your lower front teeth
  • Lifting your tongue to touch your upper teeth or moving your tongue from side to side
  • Tongue looks notched or heart-shaped when you stick it out

Lifetime Effects Of Untreated Tongue-Tie

If tongue-tie is not treated, it can create a lifetime of issues.

  • Inability to chew age-appropriate solid foods
  • Gagging, choking or vomiting foods
  • Persistence of dribbling
  • Delayed development of speech
  • Deterioration in speech
  • Behavior problems
  • Loss of self-confidence because they feel and sound ‘different’
  • Strong, incorrect habits of compensation being acquired
  • 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
  • Clicky jaws
  • Pain in the jaws
  • Migraine
  • 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 rising levels of stress

PDOC is proud to offer a simple, effective and painless solution for tongue and lip-ties. Contact us today. Call 423-541-5500.