Tongue tie refers to a condition in which excess tissue restricts the movement and sound production capabilities of the tongue, often from birth. It can pose serious challenges when eating, speaking, and maintaining oral hygiene are affected.
Kids suffering from tongue or lip ties require treatment. Our team includes functional therapists, breastfeeding consultants, speech therapists and speech pathologists in assessing children for frenectomy surgery.
For tongue tie in Noida, opt for Floss Dental Clinic
Causes
Tongue tie (ankyloglossia) is a condition in which there is restricted movement of the tongue. This condition is caused by the frenulum (FREN-uh-lum), a band of tissue which connects your tongue’s tip to the bottom of your mouth. Although most commonly thin and short in duration, thick or long and tight frenulae can tether it even tighter resulting in difficulties breastfeeding, bottle feeding, poor weight gain, speech/swallowing issues as well as dental issues as you mature as you grow older.
Tongue ties present numerous difficulties for breastfeeding babies. Babies born with tongue ties typically struggle to latch properly onto their mother’s breasts, leading to cracked and sore nipples and discomfort for both mother and child, inefficient milk transfer, as well as fussiness and low weight gains for them.
Tongue ties may contribute to tooth decay as they make it more difficult for tongues to sweep food particles away from teeth. This results in bacteria building up on plaque, leading to hardened tartar. If this is an issue for your child, a laser infant frenectomy may provide the solution; we offer this procedure right in our office using soft-tissue laser technology which is far less invasive than traditional surgical approaches that employ scalpels and cannulae.
Symptoms
Tongue tie (ankyloglossia) occurs when a band of tissue (the lingual frenulum) restricts your tongue from moving freely. Although present at birth, most children outgrow this condition naturally by age 2.
As infants develop, tongue ties can create issues with sucking. This may result in weak latching, easy loss of latch or biting at the nipple – all which are very stressful situations for mother and infant, with low weight gains for infants as a result.
Tongue ties can cause significant difficulties for toddlers and older children, from speech and swallowing issues to stopping them from sticking their tongue out past their lower front teeth.
Although tongue ties may seem unusually common among babies and kids, they are actually quite prevalent and may continue undiagnosed even into adulthood.
The symptoms of tongue tie can differ for each child depending on its severity, with some only needing minimal treatment to get their eating, speaking, and swallowing to function optimally. Frenectomy surgery is the most frequently performed solution; we perform it using soft tissue laser for less discomfort and faster healing time; working closely with functional therapists, lactation consultants, and speech therapists ensures your child receives optimal care after his frenectomy procedure.
Diagnosis
If the frenulum is too tight, it may limit how your child’s tongue moves. A biological dentist can assess how severe this issue is and whether treatment may be required.
Some children’s conditions may resolve themselves as they mature; if this condition is causing issues such as ineffective breastfeeding latching or difficulty producing certain sounds or gaps forming between two front teeth, a biological dentist might suggest surgery to free their tongue.
Frenotomy or frenuloplasty is the surgical process for untying tongue ties. In this simple operation, your doctor snips away at the frenulum with scissors or laser to release it from its base of tongue. This quick and painless process can be performed at either a hospital nursery or doctor’s office; after which exercises may be recommended to increase tongue movement post-op.
Biological dentists employ cutting-edge soft tissue laser technology for frenectomy procedures, which significantly decreases bleeding, swelling and risk of infection after an operation. Furthermore, it eliminates sutures and speeds up healing time. Furthermore, they may work closely with functional therapists, lactation consultants and speech therapists to ensure your child achieves maximum effectiveness from his or her frenectomy process. They will often request referrals from both pediatricians and orthodontists before scheduling a frenectomy consultation appointment.
Treatment
Tongue Tie can create difficulties with Swallowing and Eating, Breathing, Jaw Growth and Posture as well as difficulty playing wind instruments. Surgery to release tight tissue tying the tongue may help correct it; we advise consulting functional therapists, lactation consultants and speech therapists prior to having this surgery for optimal outcomes.
Frenectomy surgery, often known as tongue tie removal, entails cutting the small piece of tissue connecting the bottom side of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. It’s safe for infants and can usually be completed quickly without anesthesia; many children return home soon afterwards.
Many kids with tongue ties will eventually outgrow them as they progress, although symptoms may come and go throughout childhood development, eventually improving with or without assistance from speech-language pathology. Children who continue to show persistent or severe symptoms may benefit from surgical correction – usually done through a frenotomy/frenulectomy in our office using laser technology which creates a clean field while simultaneously sealing blood vessels during operation for faster healing with reduced risk of complications such as pain and swelling.