Tongue-tie is a condition that affects up to 11% of newborns. Tongue-tie (also called ankyloglossia) is a condition that restricts the range of motion of the child’s tongue. In a child born with ankyloglossia, the lingual frenulum is unusually short, thick, or tight. The lingual frenulum is the tissue that connects the bottom of an infant’s tongue and the floor of her mouth. In most cases, a developing fetus’ lingual frenulum will separate before it is born. The cause of tongue-tie is unknown though genetic factors may be involved. Statistically, tongue-tie is more common in boys than girls.
Potential complications associated with tongue-tie
An infant that is tongue-tied may experience difficulty sticking out their tongue, eating, speaking, swallowing, or breast-feeding.
To breast-feed effectively, an infant needs to hold her tongue over her lower gum as she sucks. If a tongue-tie prevents your child from getting or holding her tongue into the appropriate position, she may chew her mother’s nipple rather than suck. While tongue-tie may be a risk factor for breast-feeding challenges, most children born with tongue-tie are able to feed perfectly well.
An infant’s tongue has a prominent role in speech development, particularly in the production of the sounds “t,” “d,” “z,” “s,” “th,” “r,” and “l.” As your infant ages, a limited range of tongue motion can also limit licking motions and things like playing musical instruments.
From a health-related perspective, tongue-tie can interfere with oral hygiene since the tongue will have less freedom to remove food particles from teeth and gums. The accumulation of food debris is a risk factor for tooth decay and gum disease, though one that can be mitigated with diligent attention to daily brushing and flossing.
What causes tongue-tie?
In most cases, a developing fetus’ lingual frenulum will separate before it is born, in which case the tongue will have full range of motion immediately upon birth. The cause of tongue-tie is unknown though genetic factors may be involved. Statistically, tongue-tie is more common in boys than girls.
How can you tell if your child has tongue-tie?
● You may notice, as you get to know your infant or because you looked due to a family history of tongue-tie, that the lingual frenulum is unusually long or thick.
● Your pediatrician or midwife may notice the presence of tongue-tie during their own routine examinations of your infant.
● You may notice that your baby is unable to stick their tongue out of their mouth as far as you’d expect.
● You may experience problems during breast-feeding such as those described below.
● You may even notice problems while feeding with formula if tongue-tie is causing your infant to swallow air. In that case, she may have more wind and more frequent stomach upset.
How can tongue-tie affect breast-feeding?
The most common cause of concern around a child’s tongue-tie relates to her ability to breast-feed successfully. There are four breast-feeding scenarios that sometimes develop in infants with a tongue-tie. Do keep in mind that tongue-tie is not the only cause of these and other breast-feeding issues.
● You may hear a clicking noise.
● Your baby may go off and on your breast frequently without sustaining feeding for any length of time.
● Even after seeming to feed for some time, your baby may not settle afterwards because she was struggling to draw milk.
● Your baby may not be gaining weight as expected even though your milk supply is dropping. This can happen because your infant isn’t able to remove milk, but also unable to stimulate your breast enough to produce more milk.
Tongue-tie is not a significant medical issue unless it interferes significantly with some aspect of your child’s development or health, and that is not the case for the majority of children. If you are concerned about your child’s range of tongue movement or her ability to breast-feed, you should discuss those concerns with the lip tie center in Tampa, and your midwife or pediatrician.
If any action is necessary to release your child’s tongue-tie, her frenulum can be snipped quickly using a laser or sterile scissors in an outpatient procedure accomplished in seconds. If you have any questions or concerns about tongue tie, don’t hesitate to contact the tongue tie center in Tampa.