A tongue-tie, known medically as ankyloglossia (pronounced ang-kuh-loh-glaw-see-uh) is caused when the membrane that connects the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth is unusually short and thick, reducing the mobility of the tongue.
Tongue-ties are common and are easily treated. Tongue-ties can lead to a host of problems be should be treated if the tongue-tie affects nursing, eating, breathing, speech or oral hygiene. Additionally dental issues have been correlated to having a tongue-tie such as, spacing between teeth, bruxism (grinding) as well as TMJ pain.Signs of a tongue-tie in infants and small children may include the following:
- Difficulty breastfeeding
- Difficulty lifting their tongue
- Difficulty sticking their tongue out beyond lower teeth.
- Difficulty moving their tongue side to side
- Difficulty licking their lips
Signs of a tongue-tie in older children may include difficulty with the following:
- Speech
- Especially when the child has difficulty pronouncing words like sip, zip, or ship (sibilants)
- Pronouncing lingual sounds such as “R”. For example when the child says railroad it may sound like “wailwoad”.
- Mechanical and social effects such as licking one’s lips, being unable to clean food debris away from teeth or difficulty eating an ice cream cone.
- Mouth breathing due to poor tongue posture can be caused when the tongue-tie does not allow the tongue to rest comfortably at the roof of the mouth to better enable breathing through the nose.
What to do if you suspect a tongue-tie?
If you suspect that your child has a tongue-tie we recommend making an appointment with your local dentist. If they are unable to treat the condition they will be able to refer you to the proper provider.How is a tongue-tie treated?
A tongue-tie is treated using a procedure called a lingual frenectomy. In the past a frenectomy was done surgically but with the advent of modern lasers the treatment of a tongue-tie has become a simple procedure requiring no stitches and has a faster healing time. See video for more details. To your health, Dr. JoshAre You Searching For A Martinsburg Area Dentist For You Or Your Family?
If you’re searching for an experienced dentist please feel free to contact us online or call our Martinsburg, West Virginia dental office directly at 304.267.6059 to schedule your appointment. We provide a wide range of general dentistry care as well as more involved dentistry services for patients throughout the Martinsburg area and look forward to you joining the Cornerstone Dental family.
