Do you have a little bundle of joy at home? If so, you may have chosen to breastfeed due to the many benefits it offers for infants and mothers. Admittedly, however, breastfeeding can come with its challenges. For example, many babies experience unpleasant symptoms shortly after they eat, which can often be perceived as infant acid reflux in McKinney. However, acid reflux may not be the problem at all. It might actually be air-induced reflux due to a lip or tongue tie. This blog post discusses what this problem is, what can cause it, and what you can do about it.
What Is Air-Induced Reflux?
Simply put, infant air-induced reflux, also called aerophagia, is a condition that occurs when a baby swallows too much air during feeding. Its symptoms can include:
- A distended belly that worsens throughout the day, particularly after feeding
- Excessive belching or flatulence
- Abnormal vomiting
- Constant crying and irritability, which subside when the infant is held upright
- An inability to sleep lying down for long periods
What Can Cause Air-Induced Reflux?
While aerophagia can have a number of different causes, one of the most common is a lip or tongue tie. A lip tie is when the frenum (piece of tissue) between a baby’s lip and gums limits the lip’s movements, whereas a tongue tie occurs when the frenum beneath the tongue restricts its ability to move freely.
Lip and tongue tie can make it difficult for a baby to properly latch onto their mother’s breast. Without a proper seal around the nipple, the infant is more likely to swallow air while they are feeding.
Unfortunately, aerophagia related to lip and tongue tie is quite commonly misdiagnosed as regular acid reflux. In fact, one study
found that out of 1,000 infants who were being treated for acid reflux, more than half showed so much improvement in their symptoms after being treated for lip or tongue tie that they no longer needed medication.Diagnosing and Correcting Lip and Tongue Tie
Aerophagia is just one indication that a lip or tongue tie may be present. Other signs and symptoms include a baby being underweight, fussiness during feeding, nipple pain for the mother, and other breastfeeding difficulties.
If you suspect that your baby has a lip or tongue tie, bring them to a dentist who offers frenectomies. A frenectomy is a minor surgery wherein the tissue that is restricting the mouth’s movement is removed or modified to allow the lip or tongue to achieve a full range of motion.
Lip and tongue tie in McKinney can adversely affect your baby’s health and your breastfeeding experience. Fortunately, treatment is usually quick, simple, and highly effective.
Meet the Practice
Drs. Justin Chan and Sage Yoo are proud to be among McKinney’s most trusted pediatric dentists. They use advanced soft tissue laser technology to perform frenectomies as precisely and comfortably as possible. If you suspect that your child has a lip or tongue tie, our team would be pleased to help your little one find relief. Contact Sprout Dentistry for Kids at 469-813-7127.