Tongue Ties in Adults
About
Adults with tongue ties are often unaware that they've been tied their whole life. When the tongue cannot move properly, the body finds ways to work around these restrictions, and these compensations often create a cascade of other symptoms. See below for the ways tongue ties can affect adult patients.
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What is a tongue tie?
The medical term for the condition known as tongue tie is ankyloglossia. It results when the frenulum (the band of tissue that connects the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth) is too short or tight, causing the movement of the tongue to be restricted. Tongue tie is congenital (present at birth) and hereditary (often more that one family member has the condition). It occurs relatively often: between 4-10% of babies are born with tight frenulums. Tongue ties can create functional deficits at all ages, from infants to adults.
The tongue needs to move freely in all directions in order to move food around the mouth, chew, swallow, speak, and stabilize the jaw. Adults with tongue ties need to compensate in order to achieve the movements needed for these tasks, and many times they suffer from other ailments caused by these compensations.
What is a lip tie?
A lip tie occurs when the frenulum that attaches the upper and/or lower lip to the gums on the upper jaw bone. Sometimes the frenulum can wrap all the way around the gums and attach on the palate. The degree of attachment does not always correlate with decreased function - the need for treatment is based solely on symptoms, not thickness of the frenulum or where it attaches.A severe tie may cause a notch to form on the upper gum line. This is due to the tension from the frenum pulling on the bone. Sometimes the upper lip tie is so restrictive, the patient has a hard time keeping their lips closed at rest. The term "Tethered Oral Tissues" (TOTs) refers to all types of ties - lingual (tongue), labial (lip), and buccal (cheek).
How do tongue ties affect pain and tension?
When the tongue is unable to move freely, other muscles start working harder to compensate. This can lead to tension in the neck, jaw, and shoulders. Continued tension throughout the head and neck often causes headaches and migraine-like symptoms.
Furthermore, the tension from a tongue tie often causes the head to tilt forward, which can also lead to postural problems and pain throughout the body.
When the fascia that runs throughout the body is tight, patients often see tension in other areas beyond the tongue. For some patients, this tension is felt in the pelvic floor. For others, the diaphragm and even the toes!
The release of a tongue tie often helps alleviate the strain on other parts of the head and neck, and many patients report relief from chronic headaches after their tongue tie is released.
How do tongue ties
affect speech?
Several studies suggest that the restricted range of lingual motion inherent in a tongue tie condition can present issues with speech articulation in children, teens, an.
As a child with tongue tie tries to mimic certain sounds, for example, they may face difficulties such as with pronouncing “t”, “d”, “l”, and “r”, as they may struggle with putting the tongue to the lips and sticking out the tongue completely.d adults
Even when a child "ougrows" their speech impediment, many times the compensations needed to work around a restricted tongue can lead to new symptoms in adults, such as jaw fatigue, slushy speech, mumbling, and stuttering.
How do tongue ties affect sleep and breathing?
In order to sleep well, you need to be able to breathe. And if the tongue is not able to elevate and rest along the palate, it negatively affects the development of the airway, causing airway obstruction, which leads to sleep disordered breathing.
Some ways that a tongue tie might affect one’s ability to sleep may include:
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Breathing difficulties
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A tongue tie may impede or inhibit airflow, especially when you’re sleeping. Due to restricted motion, the tongue may become partially blocked in its normal position, which can cause snoring, mouth breathing, and even sleep apnea.
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Disrupted sleep patterns
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The effects of tongue tie on sleep include frequent nighttime awakenings, tossing and turning, and usually interrupted sleep. These interruptions can prevent you from reaching deep, restorative sleep stages, leaving you feeling tired and groggy during the day
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Inadequate tongue posture
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When the tongue is restricted and sits low in the mouth, the mouth usually falls open during sleep. This can cause dry lips, dry mouth, irritation in the airway from cold air entering through the mouth, and can often lead to enlarged tonsils and adenoids
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Symptoms of Tongue Ties in Adults
