The Crying Connection: How are Lip & Tongue Ties & Colic Linked?

Adding a little one to the family can be exciting, overwhelming, and drastically alter your daily life and sleep schedule all at the same time. However, if you feel that they’re crying more than you could have ever anticipated, there could also be something wrong. Lip and tongue ties are common issues that impact infants, and unfortunately, they can also lead to other consequences when left untreated, like colic. Read on to learn the connection between lip and tongue ties and colic and how you may be able to treat your baby’s conditions with one simple procedure.

What are Lip & Tongue Ties?

Lip and tongue ties are the restricted movement of the tongue and lips due to a frenum that is too thick or long. The frenum is a small strip of soft oral tissue that connects the lips to the gums and the tongue to the floor of the mouth, and when it’s restricting movement instead of aiding it, it can lead to a variety of uncomfortable symptoms for your baby.

What is Colic?

Colic is characterized by severe gas or obstruction in the GI tract, which often results in babies crying due to pain and chronic discomfort that can linger for long periods of time. It’s a very common issue for infants and can lead to parents losing hours of sleep in the night.

The Connection Between Lip & Tongue Ties, Colic & Crying

What do these two issues have to do with each other? They’re both connected to the way your child feeds. If your child has a lip and tongue tie, it can lead to uncomfortable nursing and digestive issues, as well as frustration:

• Difficulty latching while breastfeeding is a common sign of a lip or tongue tie and can cause your baby to take in excess amounts of air while nursing, causing gassiness and bloating.
• Insufficient feeding due to limited lip and tongue mobility could cause your baby not to get enough milk, leaving them hungry still.
• Fussiness due to frustration from not being able to latch or feed effectively can lead to more crying than you may usually experience.

Treating the Root Cause of the Issue with a Frenectomy

If the root of your child’s fussiness is found to be caused by an underlying lip or tongue tie, the answer to the issue is a fast and simple procedure called a frenectomy. During this treatment, your child’s pediatric dentist will use a dental laser to vaporize the excess oral tissue of their frenum to free up the movement of their lips and/or tongue.

Experiencing your baby’s consistent crying and fussiness can be overwhelming and keep you from feeling like you can think straight. The good news is that help is just a phone call away. Find peace in your home with a consultation with your child’s pediatric dentist, where they can examine them for signs of a lip or tongue tie and provide them with fast and effective treatment.

About the Author

Dr. Maggie Davis is a pediatric dentist as well as a mom, so she’s intimately familiar with the unique struggles parents face, including lack of sleep from fussiness and difficulty nursing. She opened Florida Tongue Tie Institute after searching high and low to find answers for her own baby and taking a number of advanced professional courses on diagnosing and treating lip and tongue ties. To schedule an examination for your baby, visit Florida Tongue Tie Institute’s website or call 727-786-7551.