Signs Your Baby Has A Tongue-Tie!
Tongue-ties (ankyloglossia) are caused by an unusually tight band of tissue anchoring the tongue to the floor of the mouth. This restricts the tongue’s normal function, which can cause breastfeeding issues in infants, as well as speech, dental, and airway issues later on.
Here are the things to look for. Please remember that a baby with a tongue-tie may only have one of these signs, but they may also have many of these signs.
1- Breastfeeding hurts
Breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt. If it does, then something is wrong. Sometimes it’s simply a latch issue—but babies that have consistent difficulty latching correctly are often experiencing this because of a tongue- and/or lip-tie. Tongue-ties and lip-ties often go hand in hand. If your baby cannot flange their upper lip over the breast, this is a sign of a lip-tie—and an indicator that a tongue-tie is likely also present.
2- Cracked, bleeding nipples
Often, when a baby has a tongue-tie, the tongue is unable to draw the breast tissue into the baby’s soft palate, causing nipple damage from rubbing on the hard palate. Good positioning and using the ‘breast sandwich’ technique can help with this some of the time.
3- Misshapen nipples
Often, after a feed the mother’s nipples will look like the tip of a lipstick bullet, or have a crease on the end.
4- Frustration at the breast
A tongue-tied baby often gets frustrated at the breast, and may break latch frequently, because they are unable to transfer milk efficiently.
5- Clicking sounds while nursing
A tongue-tied baby is often unable to form a proper seal around the breast, which results in clicking sounds as suction breaks repeatedly.
6- Too much suction
When the tongue is dysfunctional as a result of a tongue-tie, a baby will often attempt to compensate for this by sucking harder. This excess vacuum can be exhausting for the baby, and uncomfortable for the mother. A normal “suck” is more like a wave motion of the tongue than a suck.
7- A sensitive gag reflex
When the tongue is tethered too tightly to the floor of the mouth, the baby’s palate doesn’t receive a normal amount of stimulation, which can result in an overly sensitive gag reflex.
8- Uncoordinated sucking motion
When you put your finger in a tongue-tied baby’s mouth, often the sucking motion will be uncoordinated and uneven, and they may break suction often. This can be frustrating for the baby, resulting in fussiness at the breast, and it can also be very exhausting, tiring baby out before getting a full feed.
9- Poor weight gain
If mom doesn’t have a strong milk letdown, a tongue-tied baby can struggle to gain weight. If mom has a good letdown, sometimes a baby with a tongue-tie can still thrive and gain weight well—but may experience other non-weight-related symptoms (more info on that below.)
10- Digestive problems
11- Irritability or colic
This is often related to #10, or caused by baby simply being hungry because they can’t get a full feed. Even in the absence of obvious gassiness, stomach discomfort from excess air intake can manifest itself as colic or general irritability.
12- Recessed chin
An unrevised tongue-tie can cause a recessed chin, though some babies will have this without a tongue-tie simply due to genetics.
13- High, narrow palate
A fully functional tongue rests against the roof of the mouth when the mouth is closed, which helps the palate develop the proper shape. A tongue-tie can prevent the tongue from resting against the palate, which can cause it to develop a high and/or narrow shape.
14- Reoccurring Clogged Ducts or Mastitis
A dysfunctional tongue will have the overall result of preventing the baby from transferring milk well, and properly draining the breast. This can result in mastitis, as clogged ducts in the breast can lead to painful and potentially dangerous infections.
Tongue-ties (ankyloglossia) are caused by an unusually tight band of tissue anchoring the tongue to the floor of the mouth. This restricts the tongue’s normal function, which can cause breastfeeding issues in infants, as well as speech, dental, and airway issues later on.
Here are the things to look for. Please remember that a baby with a tongue-tie may only have one of these signs, but they may also have many of these signs.
1- Breastfeeding hurts
Breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt. If it does, then something is wrong. Sometimes it’s simply a latch issue—but babies that have consistent difficulty latching correctly are often experiencing this because of a tongue- and/or lip-tie. Tongue-ties and lip-ties often go hand in hand. If your baby cannot flange their upper lip over the breast, this is a sign of a lip-tie—and an indicator that a tongue-tie is likely also present.
2- Cracked, bleeding nipples
Often, when a baby has a tongue-tie, the tongue is unable to draw the breast tissue into the baby’s soft palate, causing nipple damage from rubbing on the hard palate. Good positioning and using the ‘breast sandwich’ technique can help with this some of the time.
3- Misshapen nipples
Often, after a feed the mother’s nipples will look like the tip of a lipstick bullet, or have a crease on the end.
4- Frustration at the breast
A tongue-tied baby often gets frustrated at the breast, and may break latch frequently, because they are unable to transfer milk efficiently.
5- Clicking sounds while nursing
A tongue-tied baby is often unable to form a proper seal around the breast, which results in clicking sounds as suction breaks repeatedly.
6- Too much suction
When the tongue is dysfunctional as a result of a tongue-tie, a baby will often attempt to compensate for this by sucking harder. This excess vacuum can be exhausting for the baby, and uncomfortable for the mother. A normal “suck” is more like a wave motion of the tongue than a suck.
7- A sensitive gag reflex
When the tongue is tethered too tightly to the floor of the mouth, the baby’s palate doesn’t receive a normal amount of stimulation, which can result in an overly sensitive gag reflex.
8- Uncoordinated sucking motion
When you put your finger in a tongue-tied baby’s mouth, often the sucking motion will be uncoordinated and uneven, and they may break suction often. This can be frustrating for the baby, resulting in fussiness at the breast, and it can also be very exhausting, tiring baby out before getting a full feed.
9- Poor weight gain
If mom doesn’t have a strong milk letdown, a tongue-tied baby can struggle to gain weight. If mom has a good letdown, sometimes a baby with a tongue-tie can still thrive and gain weight well—but may experience other non-weight-related symptoms (more info on that below.)
10- Digestive problems
11- Irritability or colic
This is often related to #10, or caused by baby simply being hungry because they can’t get a full feed. Even in the absence of obvious gassiness, stomach discomfort from excess air intake can manifest itself as colic or general irritability.
12- Recessed chin
An unrevised tongue-tie can cause a recessed chin, though some babies will have this without a tongue-tie simply due to genetics.
13- High, narrow palate
A fully functional tongue rests against the roof of the mouth when the mouth is closed, which helps the palate develop the proper shape. A tongue-tie can prevent the tongue from resting against the palate, which can cause it to develop a high and/or narrow shape.
14- Reoccurring Clogged Ducts or Mastitis
A dysfunctional tongue will have the overall result of preventing the baby from transferring milk well, and properly draining the breast. This can result in mastitis, as clogged ducts in the breast can lead to painful and potentially dangerous infections.
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Laser Frenectomy Treatment
Tongue-Tie
Lip-Tie
Lip-Tie
A lip-tie occurs when the upper lip remains attached to the upper gum. It can lead to problems with speech and eating habits, jaw pain and protusion, clicking jaws, difficulty kissing, licking lollipops or ice cream, a gap between teeth, pain with breastfeeding, and other oral health issues.
Breastfeeding Solutions
Breastfeeding Solutions
Both Tongue-ties and/or Lip-ties can create issues related to breastfeeding. A frenectomy can help mothers relieve the pain of breastfeeding and regain healthy nipples and breasts, stimulate milk production by adequate stimulation, encourage bonding with her baby, and ensure adequate feeding and growth of the baby.
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CHILDREN'S CHOICE • PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY & ORTHODONTICS
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