Tongue and Lip Tie in Babies
Tongue, lip and cheek ties have been diagnosed with increasing frequency in recent years.
It is not uncommon for a baby to be born with an issue where the tongue or lip are not as mobile as they should be, due to a thicker-than-usual connective tissue that “ties” the structure. In tongue tie, the frenulum can be seen to slightly pin down the tongue.
Sometimes, this situation is so severe it requires a procedure to snip or laser away the extra connective tissue and free up the tongue, lip or even cheek.
However, most of the time, a few exercises and some osteopathic treatment, combined with Baby’s own natural inclination to stretch it out while trying to latch, will mean no further intervention is necessary. The exercises are very simple, and I will get the parents to video me showing them how to do it on their phone, so that there’s a how-to guide always available when you’re at home completing the exercises with your little one.
Although the exercises are usually very similar for each baby, they can be slightly different, depending on each baby’s unique situation. That means that it’s inadvisable to just use exercises from the internet or that someone you know has been given, just in case that’s not right for your baby. Though it’s unlikely to do any harm, it’s always better to get professional advice on exercises for your baby’s particular jaw mechanics.
Often with osteopathic treatment, the latch and feeding will improve drastically, baby will start gaining weight well, and the painful procedure can be avoided entirely.
It’s best to get osteopathic treatment as soon as possible if Baby isn’t feeding very well, as there tends to be a rush to try to get the surgery when Baby is still very young when that’s the case.
One sign of tongue tie that can be missed is when baby feeds well but only on one side. There can be other musculoskeletal causes of this, but sometimes it’s to do with the tongue, lip or cheek tie.
I am always realistic when treating babies - if I think the surgery is absolutely necessary, and there’s no improvement within 2 or 3 treatments, I will recommend further intervention.
If you would like to have your baby seen before getting a tongue tie surgery, to see if it can be avoided, or you think there may be tongue tie issue even if baby is feeding well, book online or email warrnamboolosteopathy@gmail.com with any questions you may have.
What else can Osteopaths treat in babies? Click here to read more about treatment for infants and children.
