After research on tongue-tie, doctors found that most of the symptoms are related to poor oral development in babies, which is due to a lack of breastfeeding and early teething. The process for treating the condition has been simplified with modern science.
The “disadvantages of clipping tongue-tie” is a blog post that discusses the disadvantages of clipping tongue-ties. Tongue tie clips can be used to treat the problem, but there are some disadvantages to this method.
Baby and child tongue ties 101! If your child’s eating, speaking, or other behaviors are being affected by tongue ties, learn the symptoms and how to treat them.
As an occupational therapist, I often advised parents to think about a tongue tie if their kid was having trouble swallowing or taking a bottle or breastmilk. Picky eating may sometimes be caused by a tongue knot, which prevents the tongue from moving completely.
The issue is that, despite the fact that I am aware of what a tongue tie is and the problems it may create, I lack the necessary experience.
Additionally, in an online setting, you really need a professional’s eyes on your child’s mouth to determine if a tongue tie is present and whether it is creating problems.
I’m delighted to welcome Patricia Pine, an orofacial myologist from Muscles in Harmony, to Your Kid’s Table to discuss her knowledge on tongue ties. She will discuss Tongue Ties’ positives, negatives, and ugly points with us.
Are Tongue Ties a Fad That Will Pass? A Myth?
According to statistics, more than 5% of all neonates have tongue-ties. There is a genetic connection and it affects guys three times more often than girls. A tongue knot is one of several potential causes of breastfeeding issues in infants.
Toddlers’ symptoms may go unnoticed or untreated because parents believe that any worries are a normal part of the development process.
Tethered oral tissues (TOTs), which include tongue ties, are extremely real.
At two weeks old, our kid struggled to drink from a bottle. He would sob, be colicky or gassy, and down bottles so quickly I worried they were leaking. He wore a clean t-shirt. He repeatedly vomited the formula after his meal.
What was happening? We visited the physician four times since I, the eldest brother of nine kids, knew this was not normal.
The doctor altered his formula without ever peering into the child’s mouth.
We left to return home and carry out the same bizarre activities. Our kid was not a content infant. Of course, it was really annoying. Things were considerably better when he was on the Tommy Tipi cup at the age of six months. Speech was unaffected since he spoke a much as a toddler.
He didn’t tell me, Mom, this tissue beneath my tongue gets trapped between my bottom teeth until I was cleaning his teeth (as a dental hygienist) at the age of 20.
What shocked me so much? He said that he often forgot to let me know. Since he was 18 months old, I had just been brushing his teeth.
I missed his tongue tie, a large, lengthy, webbed frenulum—the tissue that joins the tongue to the floor of the mouth—which I believe was the cause of his tongue tie. After doing a dental cleaning with an ND: YAG laser, the dentist I was working with at the time released it. Nowadays, tongue tie releases employ CO2 lasers.
I was appreciative, however we were unaware of the therapeutic activities that help to stop the tongue muscle from reattaching. I didn’t understand why our kid couldn’t bottle feed regularly until much later in my work, at a continuing education session.
My mind kept seeing our son’s face. All the signs were there in front of me the whole time—clicking, gassiness, reflux, a hard stomach, crying—and I was completely unaware of them.
Although I wasn’t taught this in hygiene school, I am now fully aware of TOTs and how they impact the growth and development of the oral and physical body.
The reason I created the book “Please Release Me – The Tethered Oral Tissue Puzzle (TOTs)” is because this knowledge continues to astound me. I needed to spread the message!
How to Untie a Tongue-Tie
Muscles in Harmony provided the image.
As the tongue’s purpose is to form and mold the top maxillary arch at the roof of the mouth, tongue-tie, also known as ankyloglossia, is caused by a simple band of soft tissue called the frenum, or frenulum, which has evolved as a thick, tight, or short structure.
The upper (maxillary) arch, which determines the size of the mouth, is formed by the tongue throughout development. The tongue cannot give the size and form of the upper arch if it is fixed or tied to the floor of the mouth.
Effects of Tongue Ties on Breastfeeding
When the tongue is attached to the bottom of the mouth, breastfeeding is all but impossible because the newborn cannot hold the nipple to express the mother’s milk. Tongue-tie prevents a baby from latching on and sucking at the breast, which may cause nipple discomfort, injury, inadequate breast milk intake, and other problems.
Breastfeeding might be difficult for other reasons than tongue-tie.
In order to facilitate appropriate sucking, swallowing, and breathing while breastfeeding, a lip tie may stop the upper lip from flipping upward or flanging.
Muscles in Harmony provided the image.
Buccal ties, which are located on the sides of the mouth and keep cheeks in place so that a child may talk and swallow, are included in the disruption of breast- or bottle-feeding. The newborn or toddler cannot chew and swallow properly if their mouth is too tight.
Babies need food for development, growth, and nourishment. Breastfeeding is a natural way for a mother and infant to connect, therefore when it is impossible because of tongue or lip knots, the whole family may get upset and frustrated.
Why Do You Need Frenums in Your Child’s Mouth?
If anybody is unsure about the purpose of our frenums. Within the mouth, there are seven frenums that have a specific function. The frenums keep the lips and cheeks in place to form a bolus, prevent food from spilling out of the mouth, and support speaking sounds.
Have you ever seen a picture of a dog whose cheeks are fluttering in a swift breeze as the dog’s head is sticking out of a vehicle window? They lack the frenums that humans possess.
Our lips and cheeks must be in their proper positions and work properly. Without frenums to keep soft tissue in place, breastfeeding would not be feasible.
This movable organ’s mobility is controlled by the lingual tongue frenum. The issue arises when the frenum is overly short, thick, or tight, which restricts the tongue’s ability to move and function.
Speech, eating, and swallowing all depend on maintaining the tongue’s orientation. While speaking, eating, and swallowing, the lips are held in place by the mandibular and maxillary anterior frenums.
Gum recession may result from these frenums (gum shrinks around the tooth, exposing root structure, this exposed root can be sensitive to cold items and decay easily).
Our tissues may pull tissues away from the tooth when chewing if the frenum is too short or tight.
A diastema, a sign of a lip tie, may develop when the top frenum is overly thick and constrictive. These teeth won’t erupt into alignment on their own. The permanent teeth may emerge normally if the frenum is loosened early in childhood.
Effects of Tongue Ties on Other Parts of the Body
Frenums are necessary for a healthy physical body for a number of reasons. Frenums may inhibit proper mobility and function by causing the body to adjust for their tightness and shortness.
Think of “Spiderman,” who surrounds his enemies with a web to prevent mobility. The “fascia” of the human body, which resembles a spider web, holds the body’s organs and bones in position. When a tongue tie causes symptoms like torticollis, it may be fascia-induced.
A steady head tilt with a limited range of motion is referred to as toricollis.
The sternocleidomastoid muscle (STM), which connects the collarbone and sternum, is shortened in a newborn who likes to feed on just one side, and this might indicate difficulty rotating the infant’s head, which can result in a flat patch on the baby’s skull.
Among the various symptoms brought on by a tongue tie are torticollis, swallowing and speech difficulties, headaches, migraines, neck and shoulder discomfort, and behavioral problems. Infant torticollis may last from infancy into adulthood if it is not treated.
Physical issues may impact the child’s oral growth, development, and behavior if these signs are not recognized.
Tongue-Tie Symptoms and Signs
Tongue tie is a condition that a baby has when the tongue is too short to fully protrude from the mouth. It can cause problems with breastfeeding, speech, and swallowing. There are many signs that indicate whether or not your child has a tongue tie. Reference: tongue tie exercises for adults.
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