How Can a Lip or Tongue-Tie Affect My Toddler?

Nobody gives you a how-to book on raising a child. It can feel like a lot of pressure taking care of your kiddo in addition to being cognizant of the little signs they show that could be symptoms of medical or health conditions. Fortunately, if you find out your toddler has a lip or tongue-tie, there are specialists who can help you navigate and treat their condition to improve their quality of life as they get older. Read on to learn how a lip or tongue-tie can impact your toddler’s development and what you can do about it.

What is a Lip & Tongue-Tie?

Every child has a small piece of tissue that connects their lip to their gums and their tongue to the floor of their mouth called the frenulum. This helps them chew their food, control their mouth enough to make sounds and start to speak, and breastfeed, so even though it’s a small piece of their body, it’s incredibly important. When this tissue is overgrown or too thick, it can limit the movement of their lips and tongue, causing different issues as they develop.

How Can Lip or Tongue-Ties Impact a Toddler?

Many lip and tongue-ties go left untreated because children aren’t examined for them, and difficulties breastfeeding are often chalked up to the breastfeeding parent’s fault, even though that’s not the case! If this condition goes left untreated, it can impact children’s development in a few important ways, including:

• Dental issues like decay because of milk or food being trapped between the teeth and upper lip.
• Gaps between the front teeth due to an excessively thick or overgrown lip-tie.
• Poor nutrition because a child is having difficulty breastfeeding or bottle feeding.
• Difficulty eating some foods because their lip may not be able to move enough to take certain foods off of a spoon or fork.
• Speech issues due to difficulty making certain sounds.

How are Lip & Tongue-Ties Treated?

Lip and tongue-ties can be easily treated with a short procedure called a frenectomy. This is when a professional goes in and removes any excessive tissue that’s binding your child’s lips or tongue to their mouth. Once this is complete, you may notice an improvement in their digestion, breastfeeding and eating abilities, and speech!

About the Author

Dr. Garcia-DeMartino is a compassionate lip and tongue-tie specialist as well as a mother herself, so she truly understands parents’ concerns. She utilizes advanced, highly effective, and pain-free technology like a soft tissue laser to correct lip and tongue-ties comfortably. She is a proud and active member of several professional organizations, including the Academy of Children’s Dentistry, Academy of Laser Dentistry, Academy of Women Dentists, and more! For questions or to schedule an appointment to determine if your child has a lip or tongue-tie, visit Dr. N. Garcia-DeMartino’s website or call 908-859-5260.