Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Tongue-tie —a condition in infants that can affect breastfeeding — may be overdiagnosed in the U.S. and too often treated with unnecessary surgery, a prominent doctors' group said Monday. The ...
Ankyloglossia, or “tongue-tie,” occurs when an infant is born with a tight or short band of tissue that tethers the bottom of the tongue’s tip to the floor of the mouth. The condition can make it hard for the infant to extend and lift their tongue to grasp a nipple and draw milk — which in turn can be painful for the mother.
For infants, passively elevating the tongue tip with a tongue depressor may reveal the problem. For older children, making the tongue move to its maximum range will demonstrate the tongue tip restriction. In addition, palpation of genioglossus on the underside of the tongue will aid in confirming the diagnosis. [2]
Tongue extrusion is normal in infants. Tongue thrusting can adversely affect the teeth and mouth. A person swallows from 1,200 to 2,000 times every 24 hours with about 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of pressure each time. If a person has tongue thrusting, this continuous pressure tends to force the teeth out of alignment.
A frenulum that is attached near the bottom of the tongue, and is sometimes submucosal (not visible), but causes restriction is referred to as a "posterior tongue-tie". [7] Additionally, an abnormally short frenulum in infants can be a cause of breastfeeding problems, including sore and damaged nipples and inadequate feedings. [8]
Macroglossia may be caused by a wide variety of congenital and acquired conditions.Isolated macroglossia has no determinable cause. [5] The most common causes of tongue enlargement are vascular malformations (e.g. lymphangioma or hemangioma) and muscular hypertrophy (e.g. Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome or hemihyperplasia). [3]
Tongue thrusting and speech problems may co-occur. Due to unconventional postures of the tongue and other articulators, interdental and frontal lisping are very common. The alveolar sounds /s/ and /z/ are produced more anteriorly thus leading to interdental fricative like sounds, /th/. [4]
No intervention is usually recommended unless they are causing difficulty to the infant or mother. [3] However some recommend that they be removed as the tooth can cut or amputate the tip of the tongue. They should be left in the mouth as long as possible to decrease the likelihood of removing permanent tooth buds with the natal tooth. [9]