Tongue-ties occur whenever the tongue’s range of motion is restricted, and this happens when there is overdeveloped tissue that tethers the tongue to the floor of the mouth. This is a condition that needs to be treated; otherwise, it can prevent a person from being able to bite properly and will affect the structure of the mouth. Tongue-ties can also prevent babies from being able to breastfeed properly and can affect your child’s ability to speak.
Our tongue helps us form certain sounds, and it needs a complete range of motion to be able to pronounce certain letters. Tongue-tie will prevent a person from properly moving their tongue, so they will be unable to make certain sounds, resulting in a speech impediment. Certain sounds like T and D, for example, require the tongue’s full range of motion, so if a child has a tongue-tie, their words may sound unclear. They may be able to approximate these sounds, but the words will not sound right, so if you think that your child is developing problems with their speech, it is important that you schedule a consultation.
It is not always easy to diagnose a tongue-tie on your own, so it is recommended that you turn to a professional for a diagnosis. A speech impediment would be considered a symptom, as would difficulty breastfeeding, and a speech impediment will require a speech-language pathologist because they will be able to recognize common speech impediments and their root causes and will assess your child to confirm whether or not they have a tongue-tie. These specialists are highly trained, so you can rely on their assessment.
Speech therapy may be able to correct the effects of a tongue-tie on speech, but this is not always the case, and depending on the situation, a frenectomy may be required. This is a safe and simple solution that can remove the excess tissue tying the tongue to the floor of the mouth, and this procedure will give your child’s tongue full range of motion, so their speech will no longer be affected. Special, cold laser tools will be used to perform this procedure, as this will make the process easier, and patients will experience faster healing times. Additionally, minimal discomfort is associated with frenectomies, so it’s a treatment that is definitely worth considering.
If you are interested in a consultation, Durham Tongue-Tie Laser Clinic can help! We specialize in laser frenectomy and lip and tongue-tie release, so you can place your trust in our highly trained team of specialists. We can treat patients of all ages and will be more than happy to discuss this treatment in more detail. We will answer all of your questions and will address your concerns, so contact us today for more information!