If your baby has a lip or tongue tie, you may already have noticed that breastfeeding can be a challenge for them. However, many parents are tempted to skip the frenectomy procedure to correct these conditions because they believe that once their child transitions to solid food, the problem will go away naturally. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case, and leaving a tongue or lip tie untreated can cause a laundry list of new feeding problems. Here’s a closer look at some of the issues that not correcting these conditions can create once your child has switched to solids.
What Are Lip and Tongue Ties?
Tongue and lip ties are conditions caused when the band of tissue that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth or the lip to the face is too short or tight, resulting in limited mobility. This can cause difficulty for breastfeeding infants who need a full range of oral motion to properly nurse. Although tongue and lip ties won’t go away on their own, the good news is that a treatment called a frenectomy can correct them by surgically severing these bands, freeing the tongue or lip so they can eat freely.
How Do Tongue and Lip Ties Affect Solid Food Consumption?
Unfortunately, while tongue and lip ties can negatively affect nursing, they don’t simply stop causing problems when your child transitions to solid food. In fact, they can create an entirely new set of challenges, including:
- Difficulty moving food from side to side in the mouth and forming a bolus (a round mass of chewed food) to swallow.
- Increased risk of gagging or choking on food.
- Aversions to foods that feel unpleasant or difficult to eat due to difficulties swallowing.
- Oral motor delays to mouth functions such as proper lip closure and tongue movement.
What Are the Signs of a Tongue or Lip Tie?
If your child has a tongue or lip tie, you may have already noticed the signs at birth, which include difficulty latching during breastfeeding or chewing on the nipple instead of sucking. In older children who have already begun eating solids, they may exhibit the following:
- Choking or gagging on soft foods.
- Frequently pushing food out of the mouth.
- Struggling to transition from pureed food to food with more texture.
- Frustration or fussiness while eating.
- Excessively long feeding sessions with very little successful eating.
What Should I Do if I Believe My Child Has a Tongue or Lip Tie?
While it’s true that leaving your child’s tongue or lip tie untreated can be detrimental to their feeding and can cause a variety of problems with growth and development, the good news is that your dentist can help prevent this. A frenectomy performed with a safe, comfortable soft tissue laser can quickly vaporize a thick frenulum in just minutes. Following treatment, your child’s tongue or lips will have unrestricted range of motion that allows them to nurse and eat properly.
Older children who undergo this procedure may require physical therapy and/or speech therapy to help them get used to using the tongue and lip muscles properly, but newborns and very young babies typically require no further intervention. In fact, because the laser vaporizes the soft tissue instead of cutting it, your child should not need any sutures, should not have any excessive bleeding, and can begin nursing immediately after treatment.
Remember, a tongue tie may seem like it’s just an issue for breastfeeding babies, but the truth is that this problem may only get worse as your child grows. Thus, don’t wait until it’s time to introduce solids to help them achieve proper range of motion in their mouth. Speak to your dentist about the benefits of a frenectomy procedure today!
About Dr. Gandhi
Dr. Khushboo Gandhi earned her first dental degree in India in 2006, and after working for several years as a general dentist, moved to the United States. In 2011, she entered the Advanced Education program for international dentists at the Oklahoma College of Dentistry where she eventually earned her second dental degree. Following graduation, she became a regular continuing education student at Baylor College of Dentistry and Spear Education. She is an active member of the American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, and the Texas Dental Association. To schedule a consultation for a frenectomy for a patient of any age at Murphy Dental Home, visit our website or call 972-449-5120.