Link between Colic and a maxillary Frenulum




Is your baby up all night? Colic, crying and seems inconsolable? When your baby is breastfeeding, is it painful, uncomfortable or feels wrong? Dr. Cameron Fuller and his team at Pediatric Dentistry of Redlands suggests you bring your infant in for a quick oral exam. Many times he will notice the frenulum, a thick piece of skin that attaches the skin of the upper and bottom lip to the gums, is not quite right.
           
Sometimes when babies are born they have a thicker piece of skin that attaches incorrectly. Left untreated, this could cause speech delays and other harmful challenges later on, initially though it can create an inability to latch on to the breast during breastfeeding.

When a baby is unable to latch on correctly they suck in air. Air in their stomach leads to a distended belly, more flatulence and more belching according Dr. Cameron Fuller. “If the baby has a maxillary lip tie then they may adjust when feeding by using the lips only, this incorrect positioning can cause your baby to not get enough milk during feeding times,” says Dr. Fuller.
The effects of unsuccessful feeding for a baby is failure to thrive, they may want to nurse more often and worse case, acid reflux. Acid reflux depending on how bad may result in the suggestion of medication. 

However, once the maxillary tongue-tie surgery has been completed, almost no medication if any will be needed because the surgery will clip the maxillary frenulum which will allow the baby to latch on correctly and improve your breastfeeding sessions.

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