Untreated Tongue Tie Can Cause Many Problems

Ankyloglossia, more commonly known astongue-tie in Seminole FL, is a medical condition that causes a piece of the tongue called the lingual frenulum to remain attached to the roof of the mouth. Children who have a tongue-tie are born with it. Infants born with a tongue-tie struggle to receive proper nutrition through breastfeeding or formula feeding because they cannot position their tongue to suck properly.

Recognizing the Symptoms of Tongue-Tie

As children get older, the symptoms of tongue-tie can become difficult to distinguish from other conditions. Nevertheless, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with them and contact Luce Tooth Pediatric Dentistry right away if you recognize that your child has a tongue-tie.

• Cannot move the tongue sideways or touch the upper front teeth with tongue.
• Chewing and eating challenges, including not being able to wipe off chewed food from the teeth.
• Inability to stick their tongue out past the front two teeth.
• Speech may be unintelligible.
• Tongue has an unusual appearance.

Mothers who breastfeed may find their nipples sore or flattened more than usual if their infant has a tongue-tie.

Tongue-Tie Surgery

Frenotomy is a quick surgery that involves Dr. Amy Luce or Dr. Aaron Scheps cutting the lingual frenulum attached to the underside of the tongue. Your baby does not even need anesthesia for this procedure and can begin feeding normally right away. The dentist who performed the surgery will instruct you on how to stretch the tissues under your baby’s tongue for the first few weeks to prevent the tongue-tie from recurring.

Your child will need anesthesia and longer surgery if the lingual frenulum is too thick to cut with a single snip. We will explain more about how this works during your consultation to learn more abouttongue-tie in St. Petersburg FL.