Pediatric Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. Feryal Gün Soysal explained what you need to know about tongue tie in babies.
It may cause feeding, swallowing and speech problems in babies or children. Ankyloglossia, popularly known as tongue tie, is a congenital problem. Ankyloglossia (tongue tie) is a condition in which the part of the tongue in the lower or middle part that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth is shorter than normal.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms and symptoms of tongue tie. symptoms include: There may be difficulty in lifting the tongue to the upper teeth or moving the tongue from side to side. Protruding the tongue beyond the lower front teeth can cause problems. The tongue may appear jagged or heart-shaped when stuck. Tongue tie can affect the baby's oral development, as well as the way he eats, speaks and swallows.
It may cause breastfeeding problems. Breastfeeding requires the baby to keep his tongue above his lower gums while sucking. If the baby cannot move the tongue or hold it in the correct position, the baby may chew the nipple instead of sucking. This can cause severe breast pain and interfere with the baby's ability to receive breast milk. Ultimately, inadequate breastfeeding can lead to malnutrition and failure to thrive.
It can lead to speech difficulties. A tongue tie can inhibit the ability to make certain sounds, such as "t," "d," "z," "s," "th," "r" and "l."
It can cause poor oral hygiene. For an older child or adult, tongue tie can make it difficult to clear food debris from the teeth. This can contribute to tooth decay and inflammation of the gums (gingivitis). Tongue tie can also cause a gap or gap to form between the two lower front teeth.
Difficulties with other oral activities may occur. Tongue tie can interfere with activities such as licking an ice cream cone, licking lips, kissing, or playing a wind instrument.
What are the causes?
In general, the lingual frenulum develops before birth. separates and allows the tongue to move freely. With a tongue tie, the lingual frenulum remains attached under the tongue. Although it is largely unknown why this happens, some cases of tongue tie have been linked to certain genetic factors. Although tongue tie can affect anyone, boys are more prone to it than girls. It is more common.
How is it diagnosed and treated?
Tongue tie is typically diagnosed during a physical examination. For infants, the doctor may use a screening tool to evaluate various aspects of the tongue's appearance and mobility.
The lingual frenulum may loosen over time, relieving the tongue tie. In other cases, tongue tie continues without causing problems. If tongue tie is causing problems, surgical treatment for tongue tie may be necessary for infants, children, or adults. Surgical procedures include frenotomy or frenuloplasty.
Frenotomy is the process of releasing the tongue tie and lingual frenulum. A simple surgical procedure called a frenotomy may be done with or without anesthesia in a hospital nursery or doctor's office.
If additional repair is needed or the lingual frenulum is too thick for a frenotomy, a more extensive procedure known as frenuloplasty may be recommended. Frenuloplasty is performed with surgical instruments under general anesthesia. After the frenulum is released, the wound is usually closed with self-absorbing stitches as the tongue heals.
After frenuloplasty, tongue exercises may be recommended to increase tongue movement and reduce the likelihood of scarring.
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