What Is Tongue-Tie In Babies?

The tongue-tie is an oral condition that can impact many things in babies, from breastfeeding to speech.

What is Tongue-tie?

A baby born with a tongue-tie has a short or thick frenulum that restricts the tongue’s free movement. A frenulum is a small band of muscle that extends from the floor of the mouth to the bottom of the tongue.

Tongue ties are often classified as the following:

• Type I
• Type II
• Type III
• Type IV

The type does not indicate the severity of the situation; instead, it is used for descriptive purposes to explain where the tie attaches to the tongue.

How is Tongue Tie Treated?

The treatment for tongue-tie depends upon the severity. Some doctors prefer to wait and see an approach for mild cases, whereas others prefer Frenectomy, a procedure to release the frenulum.

Frenectomy is a simple procedure, and usually, it does not take much time to perform. Here, the frenulum in the mouth is altered or removed with a laser. This procedure of removing the frenulum is nearly painless. It does not cause any adverse effects on lips, mouth, nor it changes your baby’s look.

However, the choice to go with Frenectomy is entirely up to parents experiencing difficulty while breastfeeding their infants.

How does the Tongue tie affect breastfeeding?

The tongue-tie in babies impacts breastfeeding sessions. According to doctors, both pain and ineffective latch can lead to a lesser milk supply. The kids have difficulty sucking milk.

Moreover, there can be speech delays as the baby grows older. Furthermore, untreated tongue ties may cause issues with the pronunciation of the words.

Other than feeding and speech issues, tongue ties can also cause dental misalignment.

The Bottom Line

Releasing a tongue-tie is a safe and simple procedure that may help with breastfeeding problems.
If you’re experiencing issues with breastfeeding or think your baby has a tongue-tie, contact your doctor. They will be able to perform an evaluation and refer you for treatment.

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