Tongue Tie Diagnosis: How To Determine Tongue Ties In Babies?

Tongue Tie Diagnosis: How To Determine Tongue Ties In Babies? | | TMJ, Tongue Tie & Sleep Institute – Tongue Tie Treatment in Mumbai, India | Tongue Tie |

Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) is a condition present at birth. It is a string of tissue that restricts the tongue’s range of motion. This tissue is known as the frenulum. The floor of the mouth is connected to the underside of the tongue, and the frenulum can limit various tongue movements that are essential for breastfeeding, sucking, swallowing, eating, drinking, chewing, breathing, speech, jaw growth, posture, and digestion.

Concerned about tongue-tie in your child? Get a reliable diagnosis from our experts.

1) Symptoms and Causes of Tongue Ties in Babies:

While there are many theories behind the causes of infant tongue-tie, there is no concrete reason. Some say it’s hereditary, while others believe that it could be because of the defect in cellular apoptosis.
For breastfeeding infants, the right tongue function is important for feeding and correct jaw development. Failure to diagnose tongue & lip ties can result in breastfeeding problems, and it could make mothers turn to supplement bottles under the notion that they can’t produce sufficient milk.

To rule out lactation concerns, breastfeeding mothers should visit a paediatric dentist, lactation consultant, or paediatrician.

The following are some of the tongue tied symptoms in babies:

2) Steps to Determine if the Baby Has a Tongue Tie:

The Lactation Consultant working for your baby gives me background knowledge on your sessions with her. This helps me gauge the baby’s nursing progress before my initial consultation.

If breastfeeding issues including inadequate latch, poor breast draining, painful nipples, fussiness at the breast and other possible issues have not improved and a lactation consultant is concerned about a possible tongue tie and/or a lip tie, she will ask the mother to get a complete functional tongue tie assessment for the baby.

Tongue Tie Diagnosis

THESE ARE ALL TONGUE TIES!
Tongue Tie Diagnosis: How To Determine Tongue Ties In Babies? | | TMJ, Tongue Tie & Sleep Institute – Tongue Tie Treatment in Mumbai, India | Tongue Tie |
Tongue Tie Diagnosis: How To Determine Tongue Ties In Babies? | | TMJ, Tongue Tie & Sleep Institute – Tongue Tie Treatment in Mumbai, India | Tongue Tie |
Tongue Tie Diagnosis: How To Determine Tongue Ties In Babies? | | TMJ, Tongue Tie & Sleep Institute – Tongue Tie Treatment in Mumbai, India | Tongue Tie |
Tongue Tie Diagnosis: How To Determine Tongue Ties In Babies? | | TMJ, Tongue Tie & Sleep Institute – Tongue Tie Treatment in Mumbai, India | Tongue Tie |

4) Tongue Tied Baby Treatments:

Depending on the severity of the tongue tie condition, a tongue tie specialist will advise on the probable treatment.

What Happens During a Tongue Tie Revision (Frenotomy)?

We ensure that there is zero to minimal discomfort experienced by the child during the procedure. An effective topical anaesthetic gel is applied on the frenulum before the treatment, which lasts for approximately 30 minutes. Next, we move to examine the lingual frenulum and then use the chosen technique to free the frenulum. The procedure is quick, and there is minimal discomfort as there are few nerve endings or blood vessels in the lingual frenulum. The wound will appear in a “diamond form.”

While the procedure can be performed with a laser or scissor, benefits of revising infant tongue tie with a laser include:

5) Aftercare Instructions Post Frenulotomy:

There is a healing period your infant will undergo after the procedure until the full benefits are realised.

6) Procedure Tongue Tie Exercises:

The tongue now has more opportunities to move, but this does not take place automatically. The resting tongue can relapse to its old position and may ‘reattach’ during the healing process if post-surgery tongue tie exercises are not performed diligently.

Concerned about tongue-tie in your child? Get a reliable diagnosis from our experts.

Diagnosing Tongue Ties – Caution About ‘Do-it-Yourself’ Diagnosis

While it may be tempting to attempt infant tongue tie examination on your own, I highly recommend that you allow a trained professional to perform it. Why? Experience is necessary to determine what level of tension warrants a lingual frenectomy and what does not. Diagnosis of a tongue tie is not simply based upon appearance – it is largely based upon symptoms experienced by mom and baby as well as tongue function.

I conduct a thorough examination of the baby’s mouth to determine if the lingual frenulum is causing interference in the movements that are important for proper latch and tongue function. While it is certain that not all tongue ties need to be released, it is the experience I have in evaluating infants that helps me make an informed decision.
Do not worry. The resulting benefits I have witnessed in improved breastfeeding makes the entire procedure well-worth it.

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