Infant Feeding Therapy Services For Tongue Ties And Lip Ties

Do you have pain with breastfeeding?

Does your infant have little white blister on their lips?

Do you hear clicking noises when you breastfeed or when they drink from the bottle?

If so, these are some of the various signs that your child may have a tethered oral tissue (TOT) condition, such as tongue tie, lip tie, or a buccal tie.

TOTs can affect feeding, speech development, dental health, digestion, breathing, sleep, and posture.

They can also lead to other pediatric physical conditions, like torticollis.

At Little Feet Therapy, we offer pediatric physical therapy to help address your baby’s tongue or lip ties.

Our pediatric therapy team specializes in addressing infant feeding issues and other concerns that can come from TOTs.

A tongue tie, otherwise known as ankyloglossia, is a condition related to the lingual frenulum.

This is the tissue that connects the floor of your child’s mouth to their tongue.

Tongue tie is when their lingual frenulum is too short, too tight, or too thick.

This condition is present at birth and limits their ability to move their tongue.

If your baby has a tongue tie, it can affect their ability to breastfeed or bottle feed.

This is because they are unable to properly move their tongue and create a proper latch to extract milk. This can impact both breast and bottle feeding.

A tongue tie doesn’t always lead to issues, but if your child is having some of the symptoms below, you should seek professional advice.

Similarly to the lingual frenulum, there’s a frenulum between your gums and upper lip.

A lip tie is when this frenulum is too short, too tight, or too thick.

This can affect your baby’s range of motion and function in their lips.

Similar to a tongue tie, a lip tie can lead to your baby having difficulty with breastfeeding or bottle feeding.

This is because your baby’s lip frenulum helps create a seal around the nipple to keep their lip stable as they latch and feed.

A sign of a lip tie is that when your baby latches onto the nipple, it seems as though their top lip stays tucked under.

You want to be able to see the underside of the lip when they eat. This is what forms that strong suction seal allowing them to feed.

This is present at birth, but may become more visible as your baby grows and their teeth come in.

Together, tongue ties, lip ties, and buccal ties are known as TOTs.

This stands for “tethered oral tissues”. Not all TOTS require medical attention, but if you notice any of the symptoms below, it is best to see a TOTS provider.

But as for whether it’s affecting your baby’s feeding, here’s what to look for:

If you’re breastfeeding, signs of your baby having a tongue tie or lip tie can include:

Tongue ties and lip ties can have a significant effect on feeding.

If your baby has TOTs, they may have trouble properly latching onto the breast or bottle nipple attachment.

There are two possible reasons for this. One is because their restricted upper lip doesn’t allow them to seal properly. Another is because their restricted tongue doesn’t allow them to transfer the milk from the breast to their mouth.

This can lead to them not getting an adequate amount of milk due to poor suction, which can cause nutritional deficiencies.

As a result, you may notice your baby:

• Seems tired while feeding
• Gains weight slowly
• Seems frustrated while feeding
• Takes a long time to feed

If you breastfeed, you may also experience pain while feeding and develop nipple damage from improper latching.

If your baby has TOTs, a pediatric physical therapist can help.

Pediatric physical therapy for tongue ties, lip ties, and buccal ties typically involves a full body approach.

It’s common for babies with tongue ties and lip ties to have tension in their neck muscles. This tightness can lead to muscle spasms and restrict their neck range of motion.

A pediatric physical therapist can help release this tension and support their physical development and improve their oral motor skills. As an example, try taking a sip of water from a cup without tilting your head back. It’s not easy!

Releasing tension in the neck can also help address digestive discomfort, such as reflux, and breathing challenges.

As well, a connection has been noticed between TOTs and conditions like torticollis, though more research is needed to determine a causal connection. If your child also displays signs of torticollis, your Little Feet Therapy pediatric therapist can also help.

Your pediatric PT can also help your baby develop everyday skills, such as breast or bottle feeding techniques.

Pediatric physical therapists work inside your baby’s mouth. We can help to release tension in muscles and fascia, including the tongue. This helps to increase range of motion. From there, we’ll work with you and your baby to retrain their mouth muscles to learn how to suck properly.

Your pediatric PT will also recommend toys, teethers, bottles, and pacifiers to help support you and your baby along this journey.

Occasionally, treatment for tongue ties and lip ties may also involve a frenectomy.

TThis is a minor surgical procedure that typically uses a painless laser to sever your baby’s tongue or lip tie.

This is done by a pediatric dentist who specializes in TOTS.

However, it’s important to see a pediatric therapist both before and after for optimal results.

Pediatric therapy can help optimize your baby’s existing tongue function and minimize any tension in their body before the procedure.

Afterwards we’ll work with your child to teach them to use their newly acquired range of motion and help develop their skills.

Help Is Available From Little Feet Therapy

If your child has TOTs, it may be a frustrating and difficult experience for them as well as for you.

But there is help.

Here at Little Feet Therapy, we offer pediatric physical therapy for infants with tongue ties and/or lip ties.

Early intervention is particularly important for this condition, since it can interfere with their ability to feed.