Lip and Tongue Ties

Did you know that it is possible to be tongue-tied in a medical sense?

That’s right, it’s not just an expression. Lip ties and tongue ties are what we call it when the thin pieces of tissue that connect the upper lip to the gums and the tongue to the floor of the mouth are thicker and tighter than usual. These pieces of tissue are called frenula (frenum singular).

What’s Normal for a Frenum?

A normal frenum is supposed to be thin and highly elastic. This allows free mobility of the lips and tongue, which we need in order to chew, swallow, and talk normally. When the frenum under the tongue is too restrictive, it makes it harder to pronounce words correctly or chew effectively. Some people with tongue ties can’t even touch their tongues to the roofs of their mouths! They also can’t use their tongues to clean pieces of stuck food away.

A lip tie affects the frenum between the upper lip and the gums. Infants with lip ties may not be able to effectively latch when breastfeeding, and it can cause a large gap between the front teeth when they grow in as well as increasing the risk of gum recession.

Frenectomies: Untying Lips and Tongues

Fortunately lip and tongue ties are easy to correct, thanks to a simple surgery called frenectomy. A frenectomy removes or reduces the abnormal frenum. It can be done quickly and there isn’t a long recovery period afterward. The doctor simply numbs the area and makes a small incision in the frenulum to release the lip or tongue. One technique to make recovery time even shorter and further reduce the risk of complications is to use laser surgery.

This procedure is one worth learning more about if you believe you or your child might have a lip tie or a tongue tie, particularly if it’s causing pain or discomfort, in addition to the complications mentioned above. After the surgery, make sure to follow the doctor’s instructions carefully so that recovery will be as quick and smooth as possible!

Effects of Untreated Tongue Tie Thumbnail

Video Transcript

[Music]

hi my name is Amy Grawey I’m a family physician and I also practice breastfeeding medicine I’m a board certified lactation consultant I own my own Medical Practice called Little Flower family medicine and that’s located in oalen Missouri

Untreated tongue tie can have an effect on breastfeeding and bottle feeding it can also have an effect on the ability to eat solid foods to use a straw it can have an effect on speech it can have an effect on oral toilet or oral hygiene which means using the tongue to clean the mouth um and also it has been suggested that it may even have a role in Orthodontics and sleep apnea.

certainly there are people who have a speech disorder who do not have tongue tie however there have been cases where babies or people who have had a tongue tie that was not treated and then developed speech and they didn’t develop speech adequately they were delayed in speech or they had poor articulation and after the tongue was revised they spoke more clearly and had Improvement in their speech so we know that tongue tie can affect speech there’s no way to know unfortunately in whom the tongue tie will actually affect their speech.

oral toilet again is moving the tongue around the mouth so if you think about having a piece of pizza the pizza gets stuck behind your back teeth and you might use your tongue to clean out your back teeth people who are Tongue Tied don’t have full motion of the tongue and I have had cases where people come in and that they say that their three-year-old is sticking her finger in her mouth to clear the food out of her mouth and she knows she’s not supposed to stick her fingers in her mouth but she has no choice because she’s Tongue Tied so tongue tie can affect oral toilet there’s a suggestion that this can actually lead to an increased risk of cavities because if you can’t clean the surfaces of your teeth well you may be more likely to have cavities the tongue can also affect the development of the pet and the jaw and the reason this is because the normal resting position of your tongue is actually with the front of the tongue behind your front two teeth and the rest of the tongue resting on the pallet

however if the person is Tongue Tied the tongue cannot rest at the roof of the mouth of the pallet in the womb the tongue is actually supposed to stretch the pallette but if it’s resting at the floor of the mouth it has not stretched the pallette and this can actually lead to a very high narrow pallette if you treat a tongue tie when a baby’s early you know very young baby something in the 1 2 3 months of age and do ultrasound studies you can actually see that the pallet expands over time and gradually improves get stretched by the Tongue that’s resting at the roof of the mouth there’s been suggestion that tongue tie may be tied to Airway problems or sleep apnea

the reason for this if you think about it your nose holes are right above your pallet so if your tongue doesn’t go up and stretch your pallet it may also not stretch your airway up here there’s also a portion of the airway here that can have the tongue fall back and block and so a tongue tie is going to prohibit the tongue from getting out of the way of the airway

Who Can Diagnose a Tongue or Lip Tie?

Most of us are fortunate enough to have thin, stretchy frenula that don’t get in the way of the movement of our lips and tongue, but if you or your child are having difficulties, a dentist is a good person to see to get a diagnosis. The dentist can then determine whether a frenectomy would be a good solution.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

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Dr. Edward Liu

Edward Liu, D.D.S., is a highly accomplished general and cosmetic dentist with over two decades of experience. A graduate of the University of Michigan, School of Dentistry, he earned his doctorate in 2000. Dr. Liu is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry and one of only 407 dentists in the U.S. and Canada to hold this title. He also achieved Mastership from the Academy of General Dentistry, an honor held by only 1% of dentists. His expertise in dental implants and sedation dentistry, combined with 1600 hours of continuing education, ensures exceptional patient care.