Unlock Relief: Adult Tongue Tie Solutions for Better Health

Tongue tie (ankyloglossia) is an increasingly prevalent dental issue that compromises oral and dental health, leading to speech difficulties, eating challenges, and physical discomfort.

Tongue-tie release in infants has long been discussed; but what about adults who never received the surgery when they were younger?

Dentists, oral surgeons and ENTs now increasingly offer adult tongue-tie release services.

Symptoms

Adults with tongue ties typically experience speech and swallowing difficulties that impede quality of life and make daily tasks challenging.

These issues may make speech and swallowing easier but they may make life more difficult overall.

Other issues caused by tongue ties include poor oral hygiene and the subsequent increase in dental problems such as gum disease, cavities and gaps between front teeth.

An untreated tongue tie may also result in fatigue and irritability due to excessive strain on jaw muscles as well as neck muscles.

If tongue tie is detected in infants or children, a surgical procedure known as frenotomy will typically be employed to free their tongue of its restrictions.

This quick and relatively painless process involves using sterile scissors or cautery to cut away tissue fragments that obstruct breathing.

However, many babies and children are born with short lingual frenulums without treatment being provided to them at birth.

This could have serious ramifications on orofacial development; therefore, early recognition and treatment should be encouraged in children if possible.

If you suspect you may have a tongue tie, try this straightforward self-assessment: Open your mouth wide and lift your tongue so it touches the back of the top front teeth.

If it can only lift halfway or less, this indicates a significant tongue restriction which limits mobility.

Causes

Tongue Ties can drastically decrease quality of life in multiple ways, from speech, swallowing, and oral health to chewing difficulties and reduced dental hygiene.

When the lingual frenulum becomes too tight it restricts tongue movement resulting in difficulties when chewing and swallowing food, poor dental hygiene, as well as other more serious consequences that require immediate action to correct.

Tongue ties typically result from birth trauma or failure of frenulum formation during early years; additionally, some people are genetically predisposed to developing tight lingual frenulae.

An additional cause could be dysfunction in our fascia – an interconnective tissue that connects and supports all our muscles and organs.

Fascia comprises bands or sheets of collagen that attach, stabilize, enclose, and separate muscle groups.

A restricted tongue can cause functional compensations across the head and neck area which leads to tension and chronic pain.

Managing adult tongue-tie requires seeking professional treatment, employing self-care strategies, and making lifestyle adjustments, that individuals can alleviate symptoms and experience improved quality of life.

Suppose you suspect you have a tongue tie contact us immediately so we can discuss our treatment options.

In that case, we are experienced in tongue-tie treatments such as pediatric/adult tongue tie release surgeries performed at The Breathe Institute under Soroush Zaghi MD as well as craniofacial pain management techniques provided by Matthew Rowe DDS.

Diagnosis

Tongue tie, also known as ankyloglossia, can lead to various issues if not identified and treated.

These issues may include jaw, neck, and shoulder pain, headaches or migraines, poor dental and oral health (such as cavities, gum disease, bad breath, and gaps between front teeth), difficulty swallowing pills, fatigue due to poor quality sleep or difficulty sleeping, speech disorders like lisps or stutters, trouble playing wind instruments or singing, difficulty participating in sports like tennis, and trouble consuming certain foods and drinks.

Diagnosing tongue tie in adults requires an extensive evaluation of both its structure and function.

A healthcare provider will visually inspect the lingual frenulum for signs of tightness such as being shorter, thicker, or more prominent than normal which could indicate that its presence restricts the range of motion of the tongue.

Ankyloglossia in adults can also be diagnosed by performing this simple test at home: open your mouth wide and attempt to touch the back of your upper teeth with your tongue – if only partway up, this indicates an anterior tongue tie; otherwise if only to the top of your mouth then likely posterior (less noticeable or functionally restrictive).

Treatment

Adult tongue ties can severely diminish the quality of life, so treatment options exist to enhance speech, eating and oral health.

A comprehensive assessment can help individuals determine if non-invasive treatments will suffice; depending on its severity some adults may also benefit from surgery to aid swallowing and breathing.

An effective tongue tie release procedure involves using a soft tissue laser to loosen the frenulum, freeing the tongue to move more freely.

Compared with traditional surgeries, this method reduces bleeding while not needing stitches.

Individuals undergoing frenectomy and frenuloplasty often experience temporary discomfort such as soreness and swelling after their procedure.

To reduce these side effects, individuals should adhere to any postcare instructions given by their doctor or myofunctional therapist.

Myofunctional therapy employs various exercises and techniques to strengthen tongue movement patterns and promote more natural speech, swallowing, and breath support.

It can also correct compensatory speech patterns caused by tongue tie syndrome thereby improving clarity and articulation.

Myofunctional therapists can also teach breastfeeding support and positioning techniques for infants with tongue ties, including improving latches to encourage proper feeding and early development.

Furthermore, these practitioners teach mothers how to use tongue tie techniques such as flipple latch to promote weight gain while increasing breast milk production.