Top lip tie

[hayz_baby]

I can't believe I've never noticed it before. Ds3 had a bit of a gap between his top two front teeth. I never really worried and guiltily assumed it was due to him sucking his thumb. However tonight I noticed a bit of gum at the top. As I looked a bit closer and lifted his gum I noticed the tie. I bf him for 6 months with minimal issues (he slipped off when he was a newborn as he slowed down during feeding but this was resolved)
We need to take him to the doctor anyway so will get it checked out.
Will anything be done? This is affecting his teeth, plus my children seem to suffer from speech delays. Ds2 also had a tongue tie although minor, I bf him successfully for 6 months too and no one was concerned. (Neither am I)

 

[jodilee6]

DS1 had slight tongue tie and a top lip tie, he split his lip tie at ~11 months falling face first onto a toy! It was picked up when he was young and I was told that most children split them by the time they were 5 and adult teeth started coming in

DS2 had a significant tongue tie that was snipped at 2 weeks, he still has a slight tie and a heart shaped tongue. He also has a top lip tie which I'll just keep an eye on.

It might be worth mentioning but I don't think they'd do anything at this stage

 

[_Meep_]

My daughter had this and the posterior tongue tie that usually goes along with it. Unlike you, we had awful issues with breastfeeding, but these resolved after we got her tongue tie cut at 4.5 months.

In the UK, they won't do anything about a lip-tied baby.

Luckily my daughter broke hers on a coffee table when she was 11 months old, which improved her latch.

My dad had a lip tie cut when he was 12 as it was causing his permanent teeth to be affected. He now has good teeth and didn't ever require braces.

These days, if it is cut they will usually use a laser - though since you are also in the UK they probably won't do anything until his permanent teeth come in.

 

[MindUtopia]

I would actually start by taking him to a breastfeeding counselor who could evaluate it. I'm guessing most GPs would have absolutely no idea what you were talking about if you showed up asking questions about a lip tie. And then usually to get it clipped, which they are more willing to do if it's affecting teeth, it's usually a specialist dentist who does it. My daughter has one as well. We had a BF counselor with experience in tongue and lip ties take a look at it (I wasn't BF anymore but she was still happy to help, my daughter was about 9 months at that point). She did diagnose it. But in our case, it didn't cause any problems with teeth so we've left it alone. They do often break on their own at some point in childhood before the adult teeth come in, but you can have it clipped. The NHS will do it if it is causing dental issues, but you need a referral. I know we were told there was a specialist up in Surrey (we're in Dorset, so there must not be many of them) who could do it, or alternatively, you can pay privately.

 

[minties]

My kids both had this, and the gaps, the gaps closed as all their teeth came in. Thomas broke his tie, Sophie still had here. Both talk fine.

 

[Bevziibubble]

Holly had a lip tie as a baby. She had a tooth gap but it closed and broke the tie as she got older and there is no gap now. They don't clip lip ties in the UK for some reason unless you pay to go private