How To Tell if Tongue Tie is Affecting Your Child’s Speech

If your child is having speech problems, there is help. The first line of assistance is involving a speech therapist. You can find services within your child’s school system. There can be many different reasons why your child is having difficulty with pronunciation. There usually is not an instant solution, but there are several steps and therapies to try for incredible, attainable results.

More specifically, you may be able to rule out a tongue tie issue if your child is having difficulties creating sounds that need the tongue or tongue tip to touch the roof of the mouth. This includes the arch off the floor of the mouth to make distinctive consonant sounds. If your child has difficulty lifting the tongue to the upper teeth or moving the tongue all around in the mouth, you may be dealing with this modality.

If your child has trouble sticking out the tongue past the lower front teeth, this may be indicative of tongue tie. It may also include a tongue that emerges notched or heart-shaped when stuck out.

When to See a Doctor

You will want to involve your pediatrician if you suspect a speech impediment. This may be the case if your speech-language pathologist thinks your child’s speech is affected by tongue tie. Also, if your older child complains of tongue problems that interfere with eating, speaking or reaching the back teeth, or if you are bothered by your symptoms of tongue tie.

Tongue tie, or the medical name ankyloglossia, is where the strip of skin connecting the child’s tongue to the bottom of their mouth is shorter than usual. Some cases of tongue-tie have been associated with certain genetic factors. This condition is usually more common in boys than girls.

Positive Outcomes

Your doctor may refer you to a specialist for a tongue and lip tie release procedure. This involves minimally invasive laser surgery. If you need additional interventions regarding a possible tongue tie condition, contact the South Carolina Tongue Tie Center. They are the experts when it comes to sustainable, lasting results when solving problems created by this disorder. Call them today for a free consultation to see how the friendly staff can assist your child to wellness.