The mouth, or oral cavity, is made up of numerous components that work together so that you can breathe, speak, eat and digest food. When you understand these parts of the mouth and how they affect your general health, the significance of oral care takes on a whole new meaning. Here's what these things do for you. Lips and Cheeks Your lips and cheeks are made up of muscles that not only give you the ability to pucker up for a kiss, but also help shape your facial expressions - both happy and sad. Lips let air into your mouth for breathing and, together with cheeks, help you speak. They also keep food and saliva in your mouth while chewing. Ultimately, these strong muscles guide and keep your teeth in their proper positions. To read the entire article by Donna Pleis, please visit Colgate.com
Are you concerned that your infant may have a tongue or lip tie? Below is an informative video where Dr. Kotlow answers questions about infant tongue and lip ties.
Dr.
Bobby Ghaheri is an ENT surgeon, who has a clinical interest in helping
babies with breastfeeding difficulites. Dr. Ghaheri has written many
wonderful articles disucssing tongue-tie, tongue-tie & breastfeeding
and tongue-tie laser surger. To learn more about Dr. Ghaheri, please
visit his website DrGhaheri.com.
Dr. Ghaheri has written an excellent article titled "How to Choose your Provider: Does Laser VS Scissors Matter?"
Families frequently ask me whether they should go to a particular tongue tie provider because they use a laser for their procedures. I always respond that the tool that the provider is using for the procedureis far less important than their skill and understanding of how tongue tie affects breastfeeding. Anyone can buy a laser, so that cannot be the deciding factor for how a doctor or dentist should be chosen.
This post will serve to answer two major questions. I will show you the questions you should ask before a potential procedure in addition to the advantages and disadvantages of using laser vs scissors.
How can a family know whether or not a provider will do a complete job when treating tongue tie? This isn't an easy question to answer, but there are certain questions you should ask if you're unsure of their expertise:
How many tongue tie procedures do you perform per month? There isn't a magic number that is necessary. This is more for you as parents to gauge whether a provider embraces the concept that tongue tie affects breastfeeding or not. If the answer is "1 or 2" vs "10 or 20", that tells you something.
Think back to the days when your tongue served two main functions: licking soft-serve ice cream cones and taunting a sibling when you stuck it out in his direction. But the tongue actually goes beyond melting desserts and young attitude. Here are ten human tongue facts, including some of its functions. The Average Tongue Is Four Inches Long The tongue consists of two parts: anterior and posterior. The anterior tongue is mostly visible and about two thirds of the tongue's total length. The posterior tongue sits near the back of the throat and measures the other one third in length. To read the entire article by Steve Auger, please visit Colgate.com
Dr.Kotlow presents a video describing how to examine infants and
toddlers, surgically release lip and tongue ties using the state of the
art in lasers, the Solea laser (CO2@ 9300nm) and recommended post
surgical active wound management .
Jamie had a severe tongue-tie and had always compensated for her lack of function without realizing it. Three weeks following the laser tongue-tie release, she describes what it was like and how she feels now that her tongue movement is no longer restricted.
The mouth, or oral cavity, is made up of numerous components that work together so that you can breathe, speak, eat and digest food. When you understand these parts of the mouth and how they affect your general health, the significance of oral care takes on a whole new meaning. Here's what these things do for you.
