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Image by Fernanda Greppe

What are oral ties? 

Tethered oral tissues (TOTs) are defined as congenital malformations of the lingual (tongue) labial (lip) or buccal (cheeks) frenum that restrict range of motion and contribute to functional deficits.

The Mayo Clinic along with other published research have indicated that a tongue tie can impact the way an individual eats, speaks, breathes and swallows.

Research cites an association between the presence of a tongue tie and altered craniofacial growth. These changes may impact one's ability to nasal breathe at night which can lead to sleep disordered breathing, hyperactive behaviors and other health concerns.

USING A HOLISTIC, TEAM APPROACH ENSURES OPTIMAL OUTCOMES OF FUNCTION AND OVERALL WELLNESS

Possible Signs and Symptoms

Image by Juan Encalada

Infants

 

*Painful breastfeeding

*Clicking or gulping

*Difficulty latching and staying on

*Excessive gas *reflux

*Frequent or long feeds

*Slow weight gain

*Open mouth posture

*Noisy breathing

*Poor sleep

*Difficulty transitioning to solids

*Excessive gagging or coughing

 

Image by Patricia Prudente

Child

 

* Mouth breathing

* Snoring

* Poor sleep quality

* Teeth grinding

* Hyper sensitive gag

* Picky eater

* Messy eater

* Slow eater

* Unclear speech

* Crowded teeth

* Increased cavities

Image by Magnet.me

Adult

 

*Mouth breathing
*Snoring

*poor sleep quality

*teeth grinding

*Jaw clenching, popping/clicking

*TMJ pain

*Head/ neck pain

*Selective eater 

*Unclear speech

*Orthodontic relapse

*Receding gumline

Why a frenectomy
alone is not enough.

Our bodies are connected from our tongue right down to the tip of our toes! We need to address the whole body and other possible tightness in the fascia that may be restricting movement and causing dysfunction. 

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The frenectomy helps so that the tongue CAN move well, but that doesn't mean that it WILL. After a tongue tie release, we need to teach the mouth muscles how to function correctly via therapy in order to get the functional results we are working towards. Therapy is most successful when started before a tongue tie release and then continued afterwards. 

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Oral ties can have impacts throughout the lifespan
and can be treated at any age!

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