Lip tie, how serious?

[sassymrsbee]

I know my baby doesn't have a tongue tie, they did check it in the hospital but they didn't check for a lip tie and I was checking her tongue today for signs of thrush(doesn't have it) and I noticed a really obvious lip tie!!
She is gaining weight perfectly, nurses great and it doesn't seem up bother her. How serious is a lip tie? I would so rather not have anything in my babies mouth clipped unless its absolutely necessary!

 

[Care76]

Lip tie is almost always accompanied by a posterior tongue tie which most are not experienced enough to recognize. If there is a tongue tie it can cause high pallet and the teeth can come in crowded and there can be speech issues (not always). Lip tie can cause a gap in the two front teeth that can be fixed with braces, but it is cheaper to release it before the big teeth come in.

Where do you live?

 

[summer rain]

I wouldn't agree that lip tie is almost always accompanied by posterior tongue tie, it's relatively common for then to go together but it seems to be just as common for them to accompany more obvious 'regular' tongue ties or even no tongue tie at all. My eldest had a very troublesome lip tie but has regular tongue tie. My second youngest has lip tie but again, conventional tongue tie. My youngest has quite a thick lip tie which may cause dental problems later but it doesn't restrict his lip in any way and he definitely has no tongue tie of any type as he was checked by a BF support worker specifically trained in looking for all types of tongue ties. Interestingly you can have lip ties anywhere in the mouth not just at the front top centre, myself and my two youngest have smaller lip ties at a 3 o clock and 9 o clock position, they don't cause any serious problems but in my case they have caused problems with receding gums as they physically pull the gums back from the teeth over time. It's difficult because in the UK they don't snip them xx

 

[sassymrsbee]

I'm in the US. would it be something I would see a pediatrician for or a dentist?

 

[Care76]

Yep, my son was tied right to the tip of his tongue, but I keep being told ULT almost always goes with a PTT. I think it is based on the assumption that a lot of PTTs are missed because so many doctors and dentists can't always identify them. I just want the OP to be aware that even if a doctor says no tongue tie it isn't always the case depending on how learned in the area they are. Very interesting in the lip tie. I knew they could be other places but I have never seen one.

You can go to a dentist or doctor or ENT. But make sure it is somebody knowledgeable in ties. There is a Facebook group that has listings of recommended practitioners all over the world, maybe you can see if one is in your area. The group is Tongue Tie Babies Support Group.

 

[Tacey]

Both of mine have lip ties, although they're not as tight as they were as both have fallen and broken them a bit at some point or another. Alice has a biggish gap between her teeth which I'm very careful about brushing well. Arthur hasn't got front teeth yet, but I expect he'll have a gap too. Having a gap wouldn't bother me, but if they still has one when their adult teeth come through, they can decide if they wants braces or not. For me, it's not a big deal.

 

[SHAMto3]

My oldest son had a lip tie. It didn't interfere with bfing at all. And when he was about 6 months old he slipped and bumped his mouth and detached the tie on his own and it healed properly. The only thing I'd likely be concerned about is whether the tie will interfere with his teeth.

 

[summer rain]

My eldest's lip tie snapped but the part that affects the teeth is pretty hard to snap especially if it runs right along the gum and right round to the back of the gums and the roof of the mouth as his did xx