Your smile is timeless, and so is the importance of maintaining healthy teeth at every stage of life. Let’s uncover the secrets of how preventative dentistry plays a pivotal role in keeping teeth clean and vibrant, regardless of age. Embrace a radiant smile in 2024 and beyond with the timeless benefits of preventive dentistry.

People may not realize that tongue-tied is more than a figure of speech — it is a medical condition also known as ankyloglossia, where the lingual frenulum (the ribbon of tissue that attaches the tongue to the bottom of the mouth) is unusually tight. Ankyloglossia can restrict tongue use and function to varying degrees depending on its severity. This helpful overview sheds light on the condition, signs, symptoms, and treatments.

Some people get nervous or have a hard time finding the right words in social or stressful situations. They may say that they were “tongue-tied” in the moment. While this could be an embarrassing or stressful moment, it’s usually temporary. Yet, the term “tongue-tie” also is used to describe a medical condition called ankyloglossia.

Tongue-tie basics

Tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, is when an unusually short, thick or tight band of tissue tethers the bottom of the tongue’s tip to the floor of the mouth. The band of tissue is called the frenulum. When it is too short or tight, it can restrict the tongue’s range of motion. Up to 10% of all newborns are born with ankyloglossia.

The most common type of tongue-tie affects the anterior frenulum, which is visible near the front of the tongue. Research studies are exploring posterior tongue-tie, which is when the frenulum is restricted further back underneath the tongue.

Tongue-tie symptoms

The most common symptom of tongue-tie in newborns is difficulty with breastfeeding or bottle-feeding. This is because a baby must be able to get the tongue to the roof of the mouth to squeeze the nipple and express milk while feeding. If a tongue has a limited range of motion, the child can’t create a good seal and is less effective with expressing milk from the bottle or nipple and pushing it to the back of the mouth to initiate the swallowing mechanism.

When newborns have a posterior tongue-tie, they may be able to protrude their tongues past their gums, but the tongue is tethered further back and causes feeding or swallowing issues.

Latching and feeding challenges can be caused by various issues, not just tongue-tie. It’s important to rule out other causes before seeking tongue-tie treatment. Additional issues could include a recessed jaw, infection, jaundice, poor positioning, engorgement or others.

Some people are diagnosed later in life, especially if the tongue-tie wasn’t significant enough to cause breastfeeding issues in infancy. Teens often are diagnosed with tongue-tie after expressing concerns and becoming self-conscious about their tongues as they become involved in romantic relationships.

Other tongue-tie signs include:

• Difficulty lifting the tongue to the roof of the mouth or moving the tongue side to side
• Trouble sticking the tongue past the lower lip
• A tongue that appears notched or heart-shaped when stuck out
• Challenges making specific letter sounds such as “t,” “d,” “l” and “th”

Tongue-tie does not cause sleep apnea or snoring.

Tongue-tie treatments

Not all people with tongue-tie require treatment. Some health care professionals recommend treating it right away, while others take a wait-and-see approach. Otorhinolaryngology, or ear, nose and throat, professionals work in concert with lactation consultants and speech therapists to recommend the right treatment option for each patient.

If treatment is recommended, a frenotomy is a quick, low-risk procedure to correct tongue-tie. In an office setting, a laser or sterile scissors is used to snip the frenulum free. The healing time is quick, with minimal pain and blood loss.

The risks for the procedure are low. However, your health care team must carefully avoid the glands, ducts and nerves located under the tongue to prevent injury, especially if treating a posterior tongue-tie.

Living with tongue-tie

As a person grows and develops, tongue anatomy does not change. People will not grow out of the condition, but most learn to manage the symptoms as they age. For example, having tongue-tie can be a problem for newborns who rely on breastfeeding. Adults have little or no issues with eating because they can cut up food into smaller pieces and place food further back into the mouth using a utensil. Speech therapy can help with letter sounds and pronunciation.

Talk to your child’s pediatrician or otorhinolaryngology professional if you have tongue-tie concerns or questions.

Balanced Dental uses the latest technology to address and correct tongue-ties and lip-ties. We have comprehensive and expert service offerings to fulfill individual oral health needs. We care deeply about the connection between dental and whole-body health. Call us at 772.247.2407 to speak with one of our friendly staff for more information or join our Facebook community here

[Reference: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/the-truth-about-tongue-tie]

We all know how critical our teeth are — they are vital for speech, proper eating, and
having confidence in smiling. But some of the ways our teeth and oral health affect us
may not be as obvious. The better we keep our teeth, the better we feel about ourselves
— our oral health is essential to our overall health. Here is a deeper look into how and
why.

We all know that oral hygiene is important for keeping our teeth healthy and our smile beautiful. But, sometimes, life gets in the way and it’s easy to skip dental visits or forget about flossing — in fact, one analysis found that only three in 10 Americans floss every day.

Our dental health is about more than just what our teeth look like — it can also affect our overall health.

“The mouth is home to over 700 species of bacteria. Without good oral healthcare, bacteria levels grow and lead to oral infections such as periodontal disease and tooth decay,” said Seema Bonney, M.D., founder and medical director of the Anti-Aging & Longevity Center of Philadelphia and member of Healthy Women’s Women’s Health Advisory Council.

Infection, especially gum disease, can affect several other diseases, including cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes and low birth weight. And nearly half of Americans over age 30 have some form of periodontal disease, according to a Centers for Disease Control report, and it’s among the most common chronic diseases along with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The connection between oral health and overall health

To understand why oral hygiene is so important and how oral health can affect overall health, first you need to understand what’s happening in your mouth.

When you eat throughout the day, a sticky film that’s full of bacteria, called plaque, builds on your teeth and under the gum line. If plaque isn’t removed by daily brushing and flossing, it will turn into tartar, a hardened white buildup that develops at the gum line and can cause cavities and gum inflammation. Early on, this gum inflammation is called gingivitis. If it’s not addressed, gingivitis will progress to periodontitis, or gum disease, an infection that can damage the soft tissue of the gums and cause bone loss and, eventually, tooth loss.

But it doesn’t stop there. There’s a link between gum disease and heart disease, and people with gum disease are two to three times more likely to have a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke. Severe gum disease can triple the mortality risk in people with Type 2 diabetes and also make chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and rheumatoid arthritis get worse more quickly. Gum disease can also lead to poor pregnancy outcomes, including maternal infection, preterm birth, low birth weight and preeclampsia

Poor dental hygiene can even affect your brain: A 2020 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease suggested that the bacteria that cause periodontal disease are also associated with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers looked at 19 different types of oral bacteria and a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia. Porphyromonas gingivalis, a type of oral bacteria, showed up the most in that group of 19 to cause gum disease, and this bacteria has also been found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.

Additionally, a 2022 study published in the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience journal found that another bacteria type that occupies and multiplies in patients with gum disease, causes inflammation that can affect nervous system tissues and can reduce memory and thinking skills, making the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease worse.

“It has also been suggested that beta amyloid plaques, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s, may be created as a response to [gum disease],” Bonney said.

While these studies show associations between gum disease and other diseases, the exact link hasn’t been pinpointed. But gum disease is a chronic inflammatory disease, and chronic inflammation and the immune response to it are associated with a number of diseases.

“Bacteria and the inflammation they create travel through the bloodstream from infections in the mouth to the brain,” Bonney explained. “It can both cause chronic disease and exacerbate it.”

Risk factors for gum disease and tooth decay

Anyone can be at risk for gum disease and tooth decay if they don’t practice good oral hygiene, but some people need to be even more careful about their dental health and wellness because of risk factors.

“Obviously, smoking is a big risk factor,” Bonney said. “Pregnancy is also a risk state — statistics show that 60 to 70% of pregnant women have gingivitis due to hormone fluctuation during pregnancy. Another at-risk group is people who use meds that reduce saliva in the mouth. And in some cases, your genetics put you at risk. According to the American Dental Association, if your family has a history of gum disease, that makes it more likely that you will too.”

If you fall within these risk categories, you may want to spring for more professional dental cleanings beyond the generally recommended twice-a-year regimen, said Corina Layton, a registered dental hygienist based in Savannah, Georgia, who has developed a huge following on TikTok sharing her hygiene tips.

Somewhere in history, oral and dental health somehow became an island — separate
from overall health and wellness. But we all know that every function in our body is
intertwined; we are the sum of all our parts! Increasingly more dental professionals are
incorporating this holistic perspective into their practice and providing more value by
using patient-centered, evidence-based care. This overview does an excellent job of
explaining why

A patient-centered, evidence-based care model with a personalized focus on improving patient health outcomes through wellness, prevention and management of chronic disease is the way to go.

Smiling is often reflexive for us — we do it without thinking for countless reasons. We
smile when we are happy or greeting someone; we smile when something is funny or
pleases us. So, it is not surprising that we likely do not often consider the benefits behind
smiling and why having that happy expression on our faces can have more advantages
than the obvious. This insight exposes why there are more reasons to smile than we
may know.

Benefits of smiling more

EVEN boosts your creativity and productivity at work! (up to 10%! Reduced stress enables you to keep a clear mind, stay focused, and avoid errors.)

“Smile, breathe, and go slowly” ~Thich Nhat Hanh