When you have a child born with a tongue-tie, it isn’t just a minor inconvenience or something that should be ignored. It is critical that parents are made aware of how tongue ties are recognized as being associated with several developmental difficulties, and this has been the case for years. They should not be ignored or left untreated.

Dr. Bryce Eagar and the team at Gateway Oral Health Center in St. George, Utah, perform frenum removal surgeries for pediatric patients who have tongue ties. As a pediatric dentist, Dr. Eagar would like to share some facts about how a tongue-tie can impact your child’s development and growth.

It Will Not Correct Itself

Both babies and young children with a tongue tie will have a thick web of fascia composed of collagen fibers with limited stretch. This area’s ability to stretch is often less than 1%, and when a tongue-tie is not treated, the baby or young child will experience difficulties developing properly. Because tongue ties will never correct themselves, the baby or young child will still have the same tongue tie in adulthood. Development difficulties of an untreated tongue tie include problems with proper speech, snoring, and even chronic pain in the shoulders, neck, and head areas.

Untreated Tongue-Ties Will Lead to Speech Difficulties

If a child does not get their tongue-tie removed and, as a result, they develop speech issues associated with it, these speech issues will not be treatable with traditional speech therapy. Because it is the tongue-tie that is interfering with the child’s pronunciation, speech therapy will be ineffective. In addition, as a child begins to compensate for incorrect tongue placement so that they can speak clearly, this can also lead to future dental issues. The best way to avoid these issues is to have the tongue-tie removed at an early age.

“Wait and See” Is Not Always the Best

Some parents may decide to wait and see if the tongue-tie poses an issue or interferes with how the baby is able to breastfeed. If you are waiting to see if your baby will have trouble nursing or if the baby’s mother is experiencing pain from trying to feed due to the tongue tie, this is not recommended. A tongue-tie should be addressed before you ever notice any of the issues that can arise from it.

Other issues your baby could experience from having a tongue tie include:

• Excessive flatulence
• Slow feeding on a breast or a bottle
• Milk leaking from the mouth
• Reflux

These are just a few reasons why a tongue tie should be removed as soon as a medical professional recommends doing so. A wide range of issues can be avoided with a simple frenectomy procedure.

To learn more about a frenectomy procedure, please call your local St. George, UT, oral health professional today. Dr. Bryce Eagar would love to hear from you and can be reached at (435) 656-0255.

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