When babies are first born, it can be difficult to accurately identify certain types of problems. Some issues can take a long time to diagnose if parents and healthcare providers don't know what to look for. According to the experts at Cleveland Clinic, it's estimated that tongue tie occurs in up to 10% of newborns. Here are a few signs that can help you identify this issue in your baby for a tongue tie correction.

What Is a Tongue Tie?

Babies are born with a piece of tissue under their tongue called a frenulum. This tissue connects the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. A tongue tie is when this tissue is too short and thick. This will restrict the tongue's range. This can affect a baby's ability to suck and can affect its nutritional intake. If a tongue tie isn't corrected early on, then it can also affect speech in older children. Let's look at some symptoms of tongue tie in babies.

1. Painful Breastfeeding

If breastfeeding is unusually painful, then a baby should be checked for a tongue tie. The tongue tie often affects the baby's ability to latch on to the mother properly. An improper latch will result in nipple pain. If the child can't latch properly, then it won't be able to get the nutrition that it needs to thrive.

2. Noisy Feeding Sessions

Since the baby is struggling to latch on properly to the breast or to a bottle nipple, feeding sessions will be unusually loud. As the baby struggles, they will also suck in a lot of air during a feeding. This will contribute to painful digestion and prolonged crying. Feeding sessions will also be unusually long as the baby tries hard to get enough to feel full.

3. Weight Loss

As mentioned, tongue tie can affect how a baby eats. If a baby is having trouble eating properly, it can start to lose weight. If weight loss is present, the baby should be evaluated for how they eat overall.

4. Abnormal Tongue Movement

Beyond feeding behaviors, there are other signs of tongue tie as well. The baby may not be able to lift their tongue to the roof of their mouth. You might also notice they can't keep a pacifier in their mouth. Another sign is that the baby will move their tongue from side to side rather than up and down.

These are a few signs that a baby might have a tongue tie. If you're concerned about your baby and would like to schedule an evaluation or tongue tie correction, then please contact us today at Dentistry With a Touch of Art. We'll be here to answer any questions you may have.