Could a Tongue Tie Be Affecting You or Your Child?
Is your baby having trouble breastfeeding?
Does your toddler struggle with speech?
Is your child a slow, picky eater?
Do you notice gum recession or trouble licking an ice cream cone?
Explore Our Sister Site: PNW Tongue Tie
A Dedicated Resource for Tongue Tie Support
At Highlands Kids Dentistry, we are passionate about helping families overcome the challenges of tongue ties. That’s why we created our sister company, PNW Tongue Tie, a dedicated resource full of education, guidance, and support. As the Lip and Tongue Tie Specialists Clinic within Highlands Kids Dentistry, all treatments are performed right here in our office, while PNW Tongue Tie is designed to help you learn, explore, and feel confident about your options.
Signs of tongue-tie include:
- Difficulty lifting the tongue to the upper teeth or moving the tongue from side to side
- Trouble sticking out the tongue past the lower front teeth
- A tongue that appears notched or heart-shaped when stuck out
- Painful nursing
- Trouble latching
- Nursing
- Shaking while nursing
- Colic baby
- Leaking milk while nursing
- Speech problems
- Slow, picky eater
Complications
In babies:
Your baby has signs of tongue tie that cause problems such as trouble breastfeeding, pain during nursing for moms, and fussiness and gassiness after nursing for babies.
Speech problem in toddlers and younger children:
Tongue tie can interfere with the ability to make certain sounds, such as “t,” “d,” “z,” “s,” “th,” “r,” and “l.”
Oral hygiene:
For an older child or adult, a tongue tie can make it difficult to sweep food debris from the teeth. This can contribute to tooth decay and inflammation of the gums (gingivitis).
Constricted upper jaw:
One role of the tongue is to advance the upper jaw to a wide, round shape. With restricted tongue movement, the tongue can’t move freely to the palate, causing a narrow, deep palate, which can lead to protruded upper front teeth.
Gum recession:
Over time, the tongue can cause gum recession behind the lower front teeth, as constant tongue movement pulls gum tissue away from teeth.
Challenges with other oral activities:
Tongue-tie can interfere with activities such as licking an ice cream cone, licking the lips, or playing a wind instrument.
Painful nursing:
Tongue-tie can cause discomfort for moms, often leading to sore or damaged nipples.
Trouble latching:
Babies may struggle to maintain a proper latch, which affects feeding efficiency and comfort.
Nursing:
Feeding sessions may become unusually long or frequent because your baby isn’t getting enough milk with each feed.
Shaking while nursing:
Some babies shake their head or body in frustration when unable to feed effectively.
Colic baby:
Difficulty feeding can leave babies gassy and fussy, which is often mistaken for colic.
Leaking milk while nursing:
Poor suction may cause milk to leak from the sides of the mouth during breastfeeding.
Speech problems:
Later in life, tongue-tie can interfere with clear pronunciation of certain sounds.
Slow, picky eater:
Older children may take longer to eat, avoid certain foods, or struggle with textures due to limited tongue movement.
Before & After
Our office provides gentle soft-tissue laser services for revising tongue ties. We also work with other specialists, such as myofunctional therapists, chiropractors, speech therapists, and occupational therapists, to help ensure that the tongue and connected muscles and tissues are working together in harmony. Please ask us your questions about this emerging health care topic.