Webinar: Tongue-Tie in Babies: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
Up to 10% of newborns are born with ankyloglossia, a condition more commonly known as tongue-tie, which means that the tongue is closely attached to the floor of the lower jaw, making it hard for babies to suck properly. This can make breastfeeding challenging for infants and painful for mothers.
Participants in the free Welcome Baby program receive a visit from their personal Registered Nurse within the first few days after the baby is born to assess both the mother and baby. These nurses provide important support with breastfeeding, parent-child bonding, maternal mental health, and even medical emergencies. They can help mothers who are observing symptoms of tongue-tie in their baby.
In a webinar below hosted by LA Best Babies Network on November 6, 2024 — for RN’s and other staff in our network of home visiting organizations and Welcome Baby hospitals — Dr. Bethany Kum, a dentist specializing in infant tongue-ties, discusses:
- Red flags that may indicate tongue ties
- Assessments used by providers
- Collaborative Care Teams involved with care
- Types of assessments, procedures, and treatments
- Lasers vs. scissors
- Wound care and post-operation recommendations
- Red light therapy
Dr. Kum discussed these breastfeeding concerns that nurses should watch for during their home visits:
- Poor breast drainage
- Nipple pain and damage
- Lipstick shaped, creased, bleeding nipples
- Decreased/low milk supply
- Mastitis
- Flattened nipples after breastfeeding
- Prolonged feedings
Latching and feeding challenges can be caused by various issues, not just tongue-tie. It’s important to rule out other causes before seeking tongue-tie treatment.
Ear, Nose and Throat professionals (otolaryngologists) work with lactation consultants and speech therapists to recommend the right treatment option for each patient. If necessary, tongue-tie can be treated with a surgical cut to release the frenulum (frenotomy). A laser or sterile scissors is used to snip the frenulum free.
Dr. Kum shares a post-frenectomy wound care handout to help parents navigate their infant’s healing journey after the procedure. It includes wound care positions and stretches, comfort recommendations, common occurrences post procedure, and more.
Dr. Kum says a release procedure may not need to be performed immediately; there are several considerations for delaying a release:
- Dysregulation: oral, motor, or emotional
- Asymmetries of the body
- Signs of any oral sensitivity or aversion, difficulty with solids
- Significant high or low body tone
- Weak tongue tone, minimal movement observed
- Still healing from a prior release
- Parents emotionally and mentally not ready
When a release procedure is not recommended, or if the family is not ready for the procedure, Dr. Kum uses red light therapy on infants. This is a drug-free, non-invasive treatment to help reduce pain and inflammation, accelerate cellular recovery, increase circulation, and enhance regeneration of the tissue. Dr. Kum also uses red light therapy after frenectomy procedures to help with the healing process.
About the presenter:
Dr. Bethany Kum is a dentist in the San Gabriel Valley area who focuses on infant tongue ties and supporting the families on their journey. After graduating from dental school at the University of Southern California, Dr. Bethany became Clinical Assistant Professor at USC’s Ostrow School of Dentistry. She taught at USC’s clinics on Skid Row and worked with USC’s mobile dental clinic and others, traveling to LAUSD schools to provide care to children. Dr. Kum retired from general dentistry and created Tongue Ties With Love in 2023, a practice dedicated to infant tongue and lip tie releases, after going through her own tongue tie journey with her daughter.
If you are part of the Family Strengthening Network and would like to access the webinar recording, email us at info@LABestBabies.org.
Related resources
- Tongue Ties With Love
- Post Frenectomy Wound Care Handout (Tongue Ties With Love)
- The truth about tongue-tie (Mayo Clinic Health System)
- Tongue Tie (Mayo Clinic)
- The buccal frenum: Trends in diagnosis and indications for treatment of buccal-ties among 466 healthcare professionals (Journal of Oral Rehabilitation)
- “Tongue-Tied: How a Tiny String Under the Tongue Impacts Nursing, Speech, Feeding, and More” book by Dr. Richard Baxter
- Frenotomy (Tongue-Tie Procedure in Infants) (Cleveland Clinic)
- What is a tongue-tie? What parents need to know (Harvard Health Publishing School)