Lip Tie

Lip tie (or lip-tie) is a condition that may restrict the mobility of the upper lip. The condition is more formally called ankyloglossia and comes in varying degrees of severity. It may be present at birth or acquired later.

Lip tie is observed by many, but not all, professionals to be a factor in breastfeeding difficulties. A number of professionals work on releasing lip ties with scissors or laser treatment. However, there are also many professionals who do not observe this to be effective and suggest that it can actually create further complications.

Lip tie is a congenital condition that can affect breastfeeding. During pregnancy, the lip is attached to the gums by a tissue called a frenulum. The frenulum should recede soon after birth so the baby can nurse comfortably. However, in some babies, the frenulum attaches too low and too tightly to the bottom front teeth or gums. This condition is called lip tie.

Lip ties can be mild or severe. A mild case of lip tie may not cause any issues with breastfeeding. Severe lip ties, however, may make it difficult for your baby to latch properly and suck enough milk from your breasts. If you have a severe lip tie, your baby may not gain enough weight after birth and might not breastfeed as well as he or she should.

A severe lip tie may also cause painful problems for you when breastfeeding. Lip ties can cause nipple injuries because your baby doesn’t latch properly or has difficulty sucking milk through the narrow opening created by the tight frenulum. If your baby isn’t able to feed effectively because of lip tie, you may experience breast pain, engorgement and plugged milk ducts as your body struggles to keep up with milk production

Lip tie is a condition where a thin piece of skin connects the upper lip to the top of the gums. When babies have lip tie, they cannot move their upper lips forward and up as much as they should.

A lip tie is a condition that affects the way the baby attaches to the breast and nurses. The upper lip has a fold of tissue (frenulum) that holds it in place. A baby with a lip tie may have difficulty latching or staying latched on, and may make a clicking sound while nursing. It may also result in a sore, cracked or bleeding nipple.

The condition is sometimes confused with tongue tie, but they are different. Tongue ties can affect breastfeeding as well, but they are treated differently than lip ties.

Some babies outgrow their lip tie after several weeks of breastfeeding because their frenulum stretches as their mouth grows, but others may have too tight or thick a frenulum to stretch naturally. In those cases, treatment can be done with laser surgery to release the frenulum. It’s a very short procedure done by a pediatric dentist or other provider who performs laser frenectomies on infants.

The frenulum can be too short and tight (ankyloglossia), which restricts the mobility of the tongue. This may interfere with breastfeeding and speech development.

If your baby has a lip tie and you are breastfeeding, he or she may have difficulty latching on to your breast. If the oral tissues are not able to move freely while nursing, babies can pull away from the breast more often and suck in air instead of milk. This can cause pain for mothers as well as result in weight loss for babies who cannot get enough milk from breastfeeding alone.

Other complications associated with lip ties include:

• Difficulty swallowing

• Speech impediments

• Tooth decay or periodontal disease

• Malocclusions

Some doctors may recommend a frenotomy to alleviate these symptoms. During this minor surgical procedure, a small incision is made in the frenulum to separate it from the gums. A frenotomy takes just minutes and is usually done without anesthesia, though some doctors will use a topical anesthetic to numb the area before making any incisions.

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Lip ties are primarily cosmetic issues, and are usually treated by snipping the piece of tissue that is under the tongue. The procedure is usually performed at an early age and causes no problems. However, in some cases, the procedure may not be done properly and can cause further problems with speech.

This condition is described as a short or thickened band of tissue connecting the upper lip to the gum above the two front teeth. This band of tissue is called a frenum (frenulum). People with a lip tie often have difficulty moving their upper lip up and down or side to side. They may also drool.

If you think your child has a lip tie, see your family doctor. He or she will refer your child to an oral surgeon who specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions of the mouth and jaw. If your child’s lip tie is severe enough, he or she may need surgery to correct it.

Tongue tie and upper lip tie (ankyloglossia) are not just nursing problems. The tongue and lips are vital for proper facial development. A tight frenulum can restrict growth of the mid-face and cause an anterior open bite, a gummy smile, crooked teeth and speech problems.

The tongue affects three critical dimensions of the face: width, height and length.

Width: the breadth of the face from cheek to cheek is affected by proper tongue posture. A low and forward tongue posture can lead to narrowing of the dental arch and constriction of the airway.

Height: the height of the face from chin to forehead is affected by jaw development. The tongue presses on the roof of the mouth during swallowing which stimulates growth of the jaw bones. A restrictive frenulum can negatively affect this normal growth pattern causing underdevelopment of the upper jaw.

Length: the length of face from nose to chin is affected by proper nasal breathing. Nasal breathing expands the nasal cavity which allows for proper development of both jaws and faces in general. Mouth breathing constricts the upper jaw leading to a more retrusive lower jaw and improper alignment of teeth and facial symmetry as a whole.

Lip Tie Speech

Lip Tie Speech
Lip Tie Speech

The frenulum is a small fold of tissue that anchors the tongue to the floor of the mouth and helps stabilize the tongue. In a lip tie, this tissue is short or thick, limiting tongue movement.

Speech delays can occur in children who have lip ties and tongue ties because these conditions can affect their ability to move their tongue or lips properly.

Speech issues from lip tie can range from mild to severe, depending on how much mobility the child has with their lips and tongue. A child may be able to resolve speech issues by undergoing a simple procedure called a frenectomy, which removes excess tissue.

A speech therapist can help determine if your child has lip tie speech symptoms

Lip tie speech

The most common speech problem for someone with a lip tie is the inability to produce certain sounds. Specifically, labial fricatives (sounds like “s” and “z”) become difficult to pronounce because they require an open mouth and a loose tongue. Instead, the person will substitute the th sound (so “zoo” becomes “thoo”). Sometimes people with lip ties also have difficulty producing rounded lips (“b”, “p”, and “m”), but this is less common.

Difficulty with labial fricatives can be especially frustrating for children who are trying to learn how to read since these sounds appear in many words. In addition to making it more difficult to sound out new words, these substitutions can make it hard for others around the child to understand what he or she is saying.

speech problems in children

Children with a lip tie usually have a high palate (roof of the mouth), and often the teeth do not fit together properly. Since the child does not have the normal tongue movement, the child tends to make up for this by moving his jaw forward, causing him to breathe through his mouth. This child may have more colds and sinus infections from mouth breathing. The child may also have difficulty chewing, sucking and swallowing because of poor tongue position. He may be unable to move his tongue sideways or upward when he tries to chew.

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This difficulty in chewing may result in poor nutrition. Also, the tongue is important in good speech development. This can cause speech sound problems such as “lisping” or “tongue thrust”. Many parents notice these problems before they find out their child has a lip tie.

You will see some common features in children with lip ties:

-The baby may be very quiet or irritable because he cannot nurse well or get enough milk

-The baby may choke while feeding or gag on food that you think is too small to cause a problem

-Your baby may have diarrhea or spit up a lot after feeding (because of swallowing too much air)

-The baby may take a

What is a lip tie?

The frenulum is a small fold of tissue that attaches the upper lip to the gums. If the frenulum restricts movement of the upper lip, this may be a lip tie. This can interfere with breastfeeding and speech.

A tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) is a short, thick or tight band of tissue (lingual frenulum) that tethers the bottom of the tongue’s tip to the floor of the mouth.

The tongue-tie may result in difficulty sticking out the tongue and difficulty moving the tongue from side to side. Some babies with a tongue-tie may have difficulty latching onto the breast, resulting in poor breastfeeding. A tongue-tie can also restrict movement of the tongue, which may result in problems with speech as the child gets older.

Speech difficulties

If a baby is unable to stick out his or her tongue past the lower gum line, this can interfere with normal patterns of speech development

In some children, a tongue-tie might not be noticed until later in childhood when speech problems become apparent. Also, as children grow older and develop more complex speech patterns, they might feel embarrassed by their limited ability to articulate certain sounds.

A tongue-tie, also known as ankyloglossia, is a condition where the skin connecting the tongue to the bottom of the mouth (lingual frenulum) is too short or too tight and restricts movement of the tongue. This condition can cause problems with breast or bottle feeding and can sometimes affect speech.

Tongue ties are present at birth and are relatively common. It is estimated that about 1 in 20 babies have tongue tie. The condition often runs in families.

The severity of tongue tie varies from mild to severe depending on how tight the lingual frenulum is. In some cases, it can be so severe that it restricts the baby’s ability to move their tongue at all.

The aim of treatment is to release the lingual frenulum if it is causing problems with feeding or speech.

When to seek medical advice

Speak to your midwife or health visitor if you’re concerned that your baby has a tongue tie and it’s affecting their feeding.

If you suspect your child has a tongue tie, you should speak to your GP, who may refer them to a paediatrician (a doctor who specialises in children), an ear, nose and throat surgeon (an ENT specialist), or a speech therapist for assessment.

Lip ties can cause problems with breastfeeding. The baby may be unable to latch onto the breast correctly and may become frustrated during feedings. If a baby has a lip tie and it is not corrected, it can lead to problems with a mother’s milk supply.

In some cases, infants with lip ties are diagnosed with reflux or colic. This is because the baby does not get enough milk when feeding from the breast, so they continue to search for food.

This can be painful for the mother as she may experience sore nipples due to incorrect latching of the baby. Lip tie can also cause pain for the child and lead to them rejecting the breast out of fear.

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Lip Tie Surgery

Lip Tie Surgery
Lip Tie Surgery

Lip tie surgery (ankyloglossia) is a common procedure that can improve breastfeeding. It can also provide relief from sleep apnea in children.

Lip tie surgery may be necessary when the thin piece of tissue under your child’s upper lip is too restrictive. The tissue is called a frenulum, and it attaches to the middle of your child’s upper gums.

When the frenulum restricts movement, it can cause problems with breastfeeding, including:

nipple pain

poor milk transfer

blocked milk ducts or mastitis

premature weaning because of pain or poor milk transfer

Lip tie surgery is a type of oral surgery that can improve your oral health. The procedure corrects ankyloglossia, also known as tongue-tie. This is a condition where the tissue under your tongue (known as the lingual frenulum) is too short and restricts movement.

People with tongue-tie may experience problems speaking or eating, and they may have trouble brushing their teeth and flossing.

Lip tie surgery releases the frenulum and can help you better care for your teeth and gums.

There are two types of tissue that can restrict the movement of the tongue, lip or cheeks. These are called frena and these are either lip ties or tongue ties. Lip tie surgery is also known as a lip-tie release. This is a procedure where the frenum that attaches to the upper lip is released from its attachment to the gums. This will allow more movement of the upper lip and alleviate any potential restrictions on the teeth and gums. During this procedure we may also need to address receding gums by performing a gum grafting procedure.

What is lip tie?

Lip tie occurs when the tissue connecting the upper lip to the gums is short and thick. This restricts the movement of the upper lip and may prevent the mouth from opening wide enough to allow for effective feeding, especially in babies.

What causes lip tie?

Lip tie can occur in both males and females. It is often hereditary; this means that it may run in families. Lip tie can be noticed at birth or sometimes only after a few weeks or months of breastfeeding difficulties.

How does lip tie affect breastfeeding?

A baby with lip tie may not be able to latch on to the nipple properly because their mouth will not open wide enough, causing pain for both mother and baby. The baby may also not be able to suck effectively, thus preventing mother’s breast from being fully drained during each feed. This can result in poor weight gain for baby and insufficient milk supply for mother, as her breasts are not being stimulated enough to produce sufficient milk.

How is lip tie treated?

In cases where breastfeeding is affected, a quick procedure called frenotomy can be performed by your doctor or dentist under local anaesthesia (a shot numbing only the area where surgery will occur). In this procedure, the short thick tissue

A tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, is a congenital oral anomaly that restricts the mobility of the tongue. The condition is present from birth and can affect feeding, speech, dental health and even self-confidence.

While it’s not clear why lip ties occur, they are more common in caucasian children.

Although some babies can overcome the restrictions caused by this condition, others won’t be able to do so without undergoing a procedure called a frenectomy. This involves clipping the tissue that connects the lip to the gums (labial frenum) or the tongue to the floor of the mouth (lingual frenum). Lip tie surgery has proven beneficial for many babies and their mothers.

Sometimes it is necessary to release the maxillary labial frenum (tissue under the top lip) to allow for proper nursing or for normal development. This can be done at any age and is a procedure that can be performed by our in house anesthesiologist.

This procedure involves local anesthetic and is usually painless during and after the procedure. It can be combined with other procedures in the same anesthesia appointment.

The benefits of infant frenectomy include:

Reduced pain during breastfeeding

Improved milk transfer and weight gain

Reduced maternal nipple trauma

Preservation of the breastfeeding relationship