Introducing solid foods can be an exciting time for parents and little ones. New textures and tastes can make eating more enjoyable; however, over time, they may prefer certain items more than others. While it would be easy to assume that their choice is based solely on what tastes good, the truth is that it could be something else entirely, like a lip or tongue tie. To determine whether this type of restrictive tissue will keep your little one from eating solid food, keep reading.
How a Lip or Tongue Tie Affects Eating Habits
When your child has a lip or tongue tie, these restricted tissues make it difficult for them to eat normally. For infants, the struggle to latch while nursing or taking a bottle can lead to poor weight gain and fussiness.
However, once you begin to introduce solid food, these banded tissues can become more problematic. Even if your baby didn’t experience any difficulty eating, it doesn’t mean their lip or tongue tie won’t make the next stage of life more challenging.
The tongue’s range of motion is crucial to ensuring proper digestion, as it helps break down food and push it to the back of the mouth to be swallowed. Yet, when these tissues are restricted, your child may be unable to eat comfortably, resulting in frustration, avoidance, or potentially harmful attempts to ingest food that has not been chewed up thoroughly.
What Kind of Treatment Can Address a Lip or Tongue Tie?
Giving your child the chance to try new foods is the next step in their development. Making this process as easy as possible is important, which is why seeing a trusted pediatric dentist about their lip or tongue tie is essential.
After a thorough examination, they may be recommended for a frenectomy – a simple procedure that releases the restricted tissue(s) so that the lip or tongue can move freely in all directions.
Performing a frenectomy takes very little time (usually around one minute) and begins by applying a topical anesthetic. The dentist will use a soft tissue laser to gently release the tissue while also cauterizing it. This level of precision ensures less bleeding and swelling. Also, the chance of your child developing an infection drastically decreases because the laser sterilizes the area.
Within a few weeks, your child will be fully healed and free to try different foods that will help them grow healthy and strong.
Having your child’s lip or tongue tie treated at an early age will not only allow for improved eating habits but also give them a reason to get excited about the endless array of flavors that await them.
About the Authors
Dr. Justin Chan and Dr. Sage Yoo are board-certified pediatric dentists and fathers who understand the challenges parents face when trying to raise children. When faced with a little one who has a lip or tongue tie, these struggles can become more evident and have a negative impact on a child’s eating habits. This is why they offer lip and tongue tie treatment in the form of a frenectomy. By releasing the restricted tissue with a soft tissue laser, children can begin enjoying solid food and all the fun flavors and textures that come with it. If you have a child who needs to be evaluated for a possible frenectomy, visit our website or call (469) 294-8217.