The lip tie or tongue tie diagnosis made sense of a lot. The clicking, the shallow latch, the way feeds seemed to take forever and still leave your baby unsatisfied. Maybe you went ahead with a release, hoping that would be the turning point. But weeks later your baby is still gassy, still arching after feeds, still fussy in a way that looks a lot like colic even though the tie itself has been addressed. If that is where you are, it helps to understand how closely these two patterns overlap, and why untangling one does not always untangle the other.
Two Conditions, One Overlapping Symptom Picture
Lip tie and tongue tie both involve restricted tissue, the labial frenulum connecting the upper lip to the gums, or the lingual frenulum connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth, that limits movement needed for a deep, efficient latch. Colic, meanwhile, is defined by a pattern of crying, often following what's called the rule of threes, crying more than three hours a day, more than three days a week, for more than three weeks, along with a tight or gassy belly, arching, and legs drawn up in discomfort. On paper these look like separate issues. In practice, a baby dealing with both often presents symptoms that blend together: gas, reflux, fussiness after feeds, and disrupted sleep, regardless of which one is driving which.
Why a Poor Latch Creates Digestive Trouble
When a tie prevents a deep, sealed latch, babies tend to swallow more air along with their milk. That extra air has to go somewhere, and it often shows up as gas, bloating, and the kind of squirmy discomfort that looks exactly like classic colic. A shallow latch can also mean a baby is getting more of the lower-fat foremilk and less of the higher-fat hindmilk in a feeding, which can affect digestion and satiety in ways that add to fussiness. In other words, the tie does not have to cause colic directly to make an already sensitive digestive system work harder than it needs to.
What Release Alone Does Not Always Resolve
A frenulum release addresses the physical tissue restriction, and for many babies that is a meaningful, necessary step. What it does not directly address is the nervous system tension that is often present alongside the tie, particularly around the upper neck and jaw. That same nervous system tension plays a significant role in digestion, since the vagus nerve, which travels through the upper neck, governs much of how efficiently a baby's gut moves food along and settles after a feed. If that tension has not been addressed, a baby can have a technically successful release and still struggle with the same digestive symptoms, because the nervous system piece underneath was never part of the plan. That is not a sign the release was done wrong. It simply means the tissue and the nervous system are two separate pieces of the same picture, and each one may need its own kind of attention before feeding truly settles.
The Vagus Nerve Connection
The vagus nerve exits near the base of the skull and travels through the upper neck on its way to the heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines. It plays a direct role in tongue and jaw coordination as well as digestion, which is part of why tension in that same area can affect both feeding mechanics and gut function at once. Supporting that nervous system pathway is a different kind of intervention than releasing tissue, and the two often work best together rather than as substitutes for one another.
How Often Lip and Tongue Tie Show Up
Estimates for how common lip and tongue ties are vary quite a bit from study to study, largely because there is no single agreed-upon way to define or grade a tie. What most of that research agrees on is that ties are far from rare. Alongside that, a lot of newborns carry some degree of tension in the upper neck and jaw from the birth process itself, even without a diagnosed tie, since the amount of physical force involved in even a straightforward delivery is significant for a body that small. That combination, tissue restriction plus general newborn nervous system tension, is part of why feeding and digestive symptoms so often travel together in the first weeks of life, and why a single diagnosis rarely tells the whole story on its own.
What Care Looks Like For Your Baby
We start by hearing your baby's full story, including your release timeline if one has already happened, feeding pattern, and digestive symptoms. From there, a gentle examination of the neck, jaw, and nervous system, along with INSiGHT neurological scanning when appropriate, helps show us where tension may still be affecting both feeding and digestion. Using Koren Specific Technique (KST) and Talsky Tonal Chiropractic (TTC), our doctors use light, nervous system focused contacts to support that underlying signaling, whether your baby is preparing for a release, recovering from one, or you are working through symptoms that have not fully resolved.
Signs the Nervous System Piece May Still Be a Factor
- Gas and bloating that persist even after a successful release procedure
- Continued arching or fussiness after feeds
- A latch that still feels shallow or inconsistent
- Disrupted sleep that tracks with feeding times
- General difficulty settling despite trying multiple soothing strategies
Where to Go From Here
If your baby's lip or tongue tie release has not fully resolved the colic-like symptoms you are seeing, our doctors in Royal Oak would love to take a closer look at the full picture. You can read more about how we support tongue tie and lip tie, or get our free guide on the nervous system side of feeding struggles. We also support colic and infant digestive issues more broadly. When you are ready, you can book online, or call us at (248) 616-0900.
