A child with trouble speaking, eating, or moving their mouth can frustrate parents. If your child has these difficulties, they may be tongue-tied or lip-tied. However, a pediatric oral surgeon can quickly treat these conditions. We at Kids World Pediatric Dental in San Antonio, Texas, are here to explain these conditions and their treatments to you.
What Being Tongue-Tied or Lip-Tied Means For Pediatric Patients
Tongue- or lip-tied children cannot move their tongues or lips naturally. A more pronounced frenulum causes this or a band of tissue that has grown and attached farther along the lip or tongue line. Your child’s mouth cannot move more freely, pronounce words, or take food in because of these larger frenula, which restrict mouth movements.
It can lead to problems with their development if left untreated. To help your child’s condition, many pediatric dentists and oral surgeons have remedies on hand. These remedies consist of the following:
- Frenectomies: A frenectomy is a straightforward procedure for infants and young children. A frenectomy, one of the best treatments for tongue and lip ties, removes the frenula to improve mouth movement. Different kinds of sedation are typically used during this procedure depending on where the frenulum was cut. Either the lower tongue frenula or the upper labial frenula can be treated with this technique.
- Frenuloplasties: Frenuloplasty modifies the frenula instead of frenectomies, completely removing it. This procedure aims to loosen it so the tongue or mouth can move more freely. Additionally, it can be used to move the attachment point and reposition the frenula. Like frenectomies, they can be carried out under various sedatives depending on the patient.
- Oral Myofunctional Therapy: Your child can benefit from myofunctional therapy, a non-surgical treatment, to help them breathe, swallow, and speak. As their facial muscles have adapted to the more prominent frenulum, many children who have or previously had frenulums frequently struggle with eating and speaking. With time and this therapy’s help, they can coordinate better and posture their mouth movements.
Your pediatric staff has solutions if your kid has tongue- or lip-tie. When caring for your child, you should watch for signs like baby feeding exhaustion, painful breastfeeding, eating challenges, and poor weight growth, particularly in infants. It only takes a short time to complete and is safe for your child, making the treatment of tongue and lip ties simple and risk-free. They must be fixed only when lip or tongue tie symptoms are associated. The lip and tongue should be examined to see if they could be causing the symptoms the patient is experiencing, such as speech difficulty, feeding difficulties (bottle/breast with infants or solid foods with older babies/children), neck and back muscular issues, etc. Tethered oral tissues can manifest in various ways, including the methods above.
For Top-Notch Pediatric Dental Care, Visit Kids World Pediatric Dental in San Antonio, Texas!
Call Kids World Pediatric Dental in San Antonio at (210) 787-1200 to speak with one of our pediatric dentists. If you notice your child slurring their words or having trouble opening their mouth to learn about your treatment options. Our staff can offer you the best infant dental treatment at our San Antonio office and be a part of your child’s oral health journey.