Can older children can suffer from them too?
Yes! Tongue ties may not affect a child as a baby but can become problematic as they get older. If your child experiences anything from the list below, they could suffer from a tongue tie too!
- Problems sleeping
- Mumbling and soft speaking
- Picky eating
- Easily gags while eating
- Speech delays
- Mouth breathing, grinding teeth or snoring while asleep
Take our quiz to see if you should see our specialist for a consultation.
Sometimes a tongue or lip tie is not caught until a baby is older. For example, speech problems in kids are much more noticeable once the child starts speaking. Although the patient may be older, like babies, the symptoms are still primarily noticed in a child’s speech, sleep and eating habits. Here is a list of common problems that can be caused by a tongue or lip tie in kids.
- Speaking
- Speech delay
- Speech impediments
- Difficulties saying specific sounds
- Eating
- Difficulties swallowing
- Chokes or gags often
- Slow eater
- Picky eater, especially with textures
- Sleeping
- Teeth grinding
- Breathing problems when sleeping
- Restless sleep from things like frequent waking and bed wetting
If your child does have one or some of the above concerns, we suggest getting them checked for a lip or tongue tie. We encourage you to take our short quiz to see if your child fits the profile for a consultation with Arkansas Tongue & Lip Tie Center. A team member will review your submission and reach out to you to get set up!
Eating Problems in Kids
As parents, we work hard to make sure our kids are healthy! When a child who does not eat well, it is concerning. Children who have a tongue and/or lip ties have eating issues because their mouth has a restriction that is limiting the normal eating process. This is why it is harder for them to chew and swallow. This limitation shows through as picky eating, slow eating or a common choke or gag habit. A lip or tongue tie correction usually helps improve these issues in kids.
Speech Problems in Kids
When a child has a tongue tie, their tongue is not free to move as needed when making sounds. A tongue tie affects each person differently but does limit their ability to speak. We understand that this can be very frustrating for the child. Correcting, or releasing, a tongue tie often helps the patient almost immediately. The procedure can also reduce some frustration and allow the child to be better understood. In many cases, kids are saying multiple new words within weeks of the release.Speech problems in kids can be helped!
Sleeping Problems in Kids
Most of us have restless nights with newborns and one of the biggest reliefs is when babies start being able to go longer stretches between feedings. However, many children have issues with sleeping beyond their first year due to a tongue or lip tie. The ties can cause snoring, teeth grinding and breathing problems. As a result, not getting a good night’s sleep carries over into difficult behavior patterns. A simple tongue or lip tie correction usually improves sleep with kids.
In conclusion, each child is different. This means that we cannot promise improvements for all cases. However, the majority of our children who have the tongue or lip tie procedure see drastic improvements over time. This means that parents also benefit from the procedure! Curious how it works? Click here for more information!