How to Recognize Possible Lip or Tongue Ties

Parents of newborns and infants can identify tongue tie and lip tie in Dryden by observing their impacts on the infant and her mother, or by a physical examination. While tongue ties and lip ties are not themselves medical issues that require treatment, they can in some cases interfere with an infant’s growth and development — not to mention cause significant discomfort for a nursing mother.

In an effort to help assuage new parents’ concerns about infants affected by tongue-tie and lip-tie near you, we have put together this checklist of symptoms affecting infants and mothers to watch for, and this simple guide to physically examining your child for these anatomical variations. If you find yourselves in the position of being concerned for your child’s growth and development or her nursing mother’s comfort, contact a dentist near you and ask about treatment options.

Symptoms of concern that affect infants and nursing mothers

Tongue ties and lip ties are anatomical variations that result in children having unusually short, thick or strong frenula (the plural form of the work frenulum) connecting their tongue to the base of their mouth (a tongue tie) or their lip to their gums (a lip tie), or both. Those unusually short, thick or strong frenula decrease the infant’s range of tongue and lip motion in a way that can potentially frustrate or complicate breastfeeding, speech development and oral hygiene in infants and very young children. 

Symptoms of tongue and lip ties affecting mothers

Symptoms of tongue and lip tie affecting infants

●     Pain while breastfeeding ●     Nipples that are creased, flat or blanched after feeding ●     Nipples that crack, blister or bleed ●     Developing plugged ducts, thrush or mastitis ●     Exhaustion as the result of having to provide frequent short feedings, even through the night

●     A clicking sound coming from the infant’s mouth as she tries to breastfeed ●     An inability to latch completely onto the nipple, or to stay latched thereon ●     An inability to hold a pacifier or bottle in her mouth ●     Excessive drooling ●     Short feeding sessions that leave the nursing mother’s breast undrained ●     Falling asleep while breastfeeding only to awaken quickly and demand to feed again ●     Seeming to choke, gasp for air or swallow air while breastfeeding ●     Developing a habit of biting the nursing mother’s nipple in an attempt to latch on securely ●     Developing an unusually large gap between her front teeth ●     Frequent colic or gasiness

While all of those symptoms can indicate the presence of a lip or tongue tie, there are other factors that can explain them. We encourage you to consult with a pediatrician, midwife or lactation consultant with breastfeeding issues. They can offer specialized support. To identify or rule out a lip or tongue tie, though, there are simple physical examinations that a parent can quickly perform without unduly stressing their infant.

Gently lift your infant’s upper lip or tongue with a clean finger and sweep another clean finger gently above her lip or beneath her tongue. If you encounter a piece of tissue at the center of her upper lip and attaching it to her gums, your infant may have a lip tie that is reducing the range of motion of her lip. Beneath your infant’s tongue, you’ll encounter a piece of tissue connecting her tongue to the roof of her mouth. If that tissue appears unusually taut, short, thick or rigid, that tongue-tie may be affecting her tongue’s range of motion. To some extent recognizing a potentially harmful tongue or lip-tie is only possible by correlating those harmless physical observations with the behavioural and other symptoms discussed above.

If you or your infant are experiencing any of these symptoms, make an appointment with a pediatrician, midwife, lactation support specialist or dental clinic near you right away to investigate the possibility of a significant tongue or lip tie that may warrant further investigation and quick, comfortable and effective treatment.