Choose Swiss Smile To Identify & Treat Lip Tie (Frenulum) Effectively

As a mother, do you face trouble when your child is breastfeeding? Your child could be suffering from lip tie.

The tissue that is located behind your child’s upper lip is called the frenulum. If these membranes are too thick or stiff, they restrict the movement of the upper lip. This condition is referred to as lip tie or upper lip tie.

At Swiss Smile, we aim to provide all types of orthodontics to our patients under one roof, be it, adults or babies. So, if your baby is suffering from upper lip tie, all you need to is find the nearest Swiss Smile clinic, and we’ll provide the best frenulum treatment, right from identification to treatment!

If you’re still unsure if your child is suffering from upper lip tie or not, here are some symptoms you can look out for:

Symptoms of Upper Lip Tie

As mentioned above, facing trouble while breastfeeding is one of the most symptoms of lip tie. These troubles include:

• The baby is struggling to latch on to the breast
• The baby is facing difficulty to breathe while breastfeeding
• The baby makes a ‘clicking’ sound while breastfeeding
• The baby doesn’t gain any weight
• The baby falls asleep during breastfeeding frequently
• The baby is extremely fatigued while or after breastfeeding

As a mother, you can also look out for the following symptoms you might be undergoing that hint at your child suffering from lip tie:

• Experiencing pain during or after breastfeeding
• Breasts feel engorged right after breastfeeding
• Your milk ducts are blocked (mastitis)
• You have to continually breastfeed as your child never seems to be full

What Does A Lip Tie Look Like?

If you are facing the symptoms mentioned above, you can check your baby’s upper lip frenulum for any signs of the disease. Typically, there are four different types of lip ties, each having a slightly different appearance than the other. Mentioned below are certain descriptions you can look out for:

• No significant attachment
• Attachment mostly into the gum tissue
• Attachment where the future upper front teeth will be
• Attachment that extends to the palate of the mouth

Complications Caused Due To Lip Tie

If your child is suffering from lip tie, there are certain complications they will face like:

Trouble Gaining Weight

As mentioned already, the child is having difficulties breastfeeding properly, they will face trouble gaining weight. To combat this, you may need to supplement breastfeeding with formula or feed the breastmilk through a bottle to ensure your child gets the necessary nourishment.

Tooth Decay

Even though there aren’t many lip tie problems later in life, some pediatricians believe that an untreated lip tie can lead to tooth decay for toddlers. So, if your child shows signs of enamel wear, visit your nearest Swiss Smile clinic, where our team of experts can help you create a plan of action for better oral hygiene while treating your child for a frenulum removal.

Frenulum Removal Treatment

Once identified, the treatment of lip tie is fairly easy with the usage of minimal invasive surgical methods. At Swiss Smile, depending on the severity of the lip tie, we determine the best course of action for frenulum treatment. In most cases, Level 1 & Level 2 lip ties are left alone. Instead, we recommend sliding your finger along the top of your child’s lip in an attempt to loosen the gap between the lip and the gumline. This practice will gradually improve the mobility of your child’s upper lip. That being said, if your child is facing tongue tie along with a lip tie, then we recommend treatment, regardless of the lip tie severity.

In cases where the lip tie is considered to be Level 4 or Level 5, we recommend undergoing a frenectomy procedure or frenulum removal. In this procedure, our team of experts neatly sever the membrane connecting the lip to the gums. We conduct this procedure either through laser or sterilized surgical scissors.

Breastfeeding your child should be a beautiful experience for the mother and child, as this is time for them to bond together. However, with an untreated lip tie, nursing becomes a challenge and creates issues with weight gain in newborn babies. Considering this condition is not too hard to spot nor treat, we urge all nursing parents to visit their nearest Swiss Smile clinic to treat your child’s lip tie and ensure they have a happy and healthy childhood!