Infant Reflux and Aerophagia Associated with the Maxillary Lip-tie and Ankyloglossia (Tongue-tie)

Successful breastfeeding depends on an infant’s latching onto the mother’s breast correctly. If an excessive amount of air reaches the stomach due to a poor latch, abdominal distension, belching, and flatulence often develop. This may be the result of pathologic aerophagia. Aerophagia (from the Greek word aerophagein: “to eat air”) is excessive swallowing of air during feeding. A poor or incorrect latch may be the result of both a maxillary lip-tie and ankyloglossia. The author presents two cases where infants were being treated for reflux by their medical doctors. After revision of both the lip- and tongue-ties, the symptoms were significantly reduced, eliminating the need for medications.