4 Tips for Checking Your Baby for Lip & Tongue Ties
When we say someone is tongue-tied, it means they can’t find the words to say. But did you know that this can happen to people who say very little or don’t speak at all—sometimes quite literally?
We’re, of course, talking about babies and toddlers. Babies may start babbling during their early months of life, but if they ever get their tongues or lips tied, it could give them a lifetime of inconvenience. For instance, it may affect their dental growth, cause breathing problems, create speech impediments, and give them sleep disorders when they’ve all grown up.
What are Lip and Tongue Ties?
Humans are all born with what’s called the lingual frenulum. If you look in the mirror and lift your tongue to the roof of your mouth, you should see a very thin strip of tissue connecting the tongue to the base of your mouth, and it goes right down the middle of your tongue. That is your lingual frenulum. This piece of tissue allows for the movement and control of the tongue.
In the upper lip, a similar piece of tissue can be found—this one keeps the upper lip from becoming too stiff. When babies are born, there are times when these strips of tissue could ‘tie’ themselves to the baby’s gums. These are what are called lip ties or tongue ties, and they are purely hereditary.
According to experts on lip & tongue tie: ‘Symptoms may include: latching problems, fatigue during feeds, clicking while feeding, low weight gain, pain/infections associated with feeding, digestive issues, and problems with bottle feeding.’
Now that you know what lip and tongue ties are, here’s what you should remember if you suspect that your baby has either:
1. Observe Their Nursing Habits
Watch how they latch onto you when nursing. While we’ve touched upon the symptoms earlier, here is a more elaborate list:
- Shallow latching or struggling while latching
- Frequent spit-ups
- Clicking, smacking noises while suckling
- Milk leaking out of the mouth
- Constant gassiness
- Frequent fussiness
- Often falling asleep while nursing
- Prolonged nursing sessions
If they don’t seem to experience this, you might experience this while you feed them. It could be your problem, too. Here are some symptoms that affect the nursing parent instead:
- Blistered, blanched, creased, or flattened nipples
- Pain while nursing
- Poor breast drainage
2. Try Looking at Their Tongue or Upper Lip
The best way to figure out if your child has a lip or tongue tie is to see for yourself. Check if the tissues of their tongue do not stick to the bottom of their mouth or if it’s in the case of their upper lip, it doesn’t go between the gums of their upper jaw.
Simply try to open their mouth with clean fingers and observe their tongue or their upper lip. These should be the most common indicators of a lip or tongue tie. Do not force your child if they are resisting.
3. Trust Your Parental Instinct
If you believe that something feels off or something might be wrong with your child, your parental instinct usually never fails. Tongue ties are common and even if the above symptoms sound common for any baby out there but you think that there’s something wrong with them, you could be correct.
4. Get Professional Help
If you’ve discovered that your child has a lip or tongue tie, do look for professional help. Talk to your local dentist and ask them how they could help your baby. If they’re a little bit older, you may have to get through their anxiety before making that visit.
Ease Them Up
Although hereditary, lip and tongue ties are not directly dangerous. However, nipping them at the bud could make a child’s future more convenient. In freeing them from their lip or tongue ties, they’ll be able to speak freely, eat better, and sleep better.
