Is 19 months too old to get tongue tie investigated?

[feesh]

I have 19 month old DTs who were born overseas, and we are currently in England on holiday.

I have a strong gut feeling that they both had a tongue tie. Boy twin breasted with some success, although not a great latch. Girl twin absolutely wouldn't latch at all and as a result I mix fed them both and eventually switched to 100% formula.

There was no support available but I strongly suspect DD in particular was probably tongue tied. She also had a bad gag reflex during weaning. And she doesn't seem to be able up stick her tongue out much/at all.

Anyway, I am in England for the next few weeks and have been pondering getting them checked. DD is quite behind DS in her speech - she understands a lot and tries to say words but just can't do it as clearly as her brother despite being very bright, and I wonder if TT is behind it.

Do you think it's worth looking at at this age, and if so, who should I see?

[jwpetal]

I think it would be worth getting it looked at in particular due to the speech issue. The handling of tongue ties, at least how I have experienced, is cultural. Most support for tongue in the UK is for breastfed babies. Otherwise, there is a belief that with support and has the child gets older, the tongue will loosen and speech will come. In the US, this is not the case and you can get this sorted, though as the child gets older the procedure is more difficult. It is one of the checks that is made on newborns.

I would say have it looked at, research and then make a decision. If it is tongue tie, then you can look at getting the support she needs whatever you decide is best for her. Good luck.

[mawbroon]

Yes, and you should see Dr Levinkind in North Finchley. He is a paediatric dentist who revises with laser and does not use GA. I took DS2 to him for assessment.

DS1's ties went undiagnosed until he was almost 6yo. He had no end of problems, affecting his entire body. He had laser revision just before his 7th birthday and is almost 2 years into orthodontic treatment and all his problems have been resolved.

Ties can have an impact on breathing, eating and sleeping, all of which are basic requirements for good overall health.

[mawbroon]

And btw, tongue ties do not stretch or loosen over time.

What happens is that the person learns to compensate for lack of movement.

Compensating is not good as it can put strain on other parts of the body.