How do I know if I have a tongue tie?
Well, first you might be wondering, what is a tongue tie? A tongue tie, or medically referred to as, ankyloglossia, occurs when the string of tissue underneath the tongue is short, thick, and/or tight. This string of tissue, called the lingual frenulum, is what anchors our tongue to the floor of our mouth. A tongue tie can restrict the tongue’s movement negatively impacting speech, sleep, and feeding. This tight piece of tissue can make it difficult for the tongue to function properly.
Tongue ties look different from person to person. Some are more easily spotted, while others can appear much less obvious. This is one of the biggest reasons why a tongue tie cannot be judged by its appearance alone. An important question to ask is: how well is the tongue functioning?
Is the tongue able to lift to the roof of the mouth? Can it move side to side? Can it suction to the roof of the mouth? Does it play a functional role in chewing, swallowing, speech, and sleep? These are all aspects that may be looked at during a myofunctional evaluation. Assessing how the tongue functions day to day is especially insightful because a tongue tie can present itself differently in each patient. For some, feeding and speech may be impacted the most, whereas others struggle with mouth breathing and have many sleep related symptoms.
Here are 5 signs that you or your child might have a tongue tie!
Difficulty Nursing as an Infant
One of the earliest signs of a possible tongue tie relates to how you or your child nursed as an infant. Babies need to have adequate tongue movement in order to latch, suck, and swallow the milk efficiently. Some signs to look out for are a shallow latch, painful nursing, milk leaking from the mouth, prolonged feedings, poor weight gain, reflux, and increased gas. This is important information to note during an evaluation even if the patient is no longer an infant.
Mouth Breathing
During the day and while sleeping, the tongue should ideally be resting up on the roof of the mouth with lips closed and breathing through the nose. If the tongue is unable to naturally rest up on the roof of the mouth, it may sit on the floor of the mouth instead. We refer to this as a low resting tongue posture. Oftentimes, mouth breathing, open mouth posture, drooling, and difficulty breathing through the nose can be attributed to low resting tongue posture.
Speech Difficulties
The tongue plays a very important role in speech. Those who have a tongue tie more commonly struggle with sounds such as /l, r, t, d, n, s, z/, “sh” or “ch”. These specific sounds require a level of tongue precision such as lifting the tongue up. A speech therapist can help determine if tongue mobility may be impacting speech production.
Jaw, Neck, Back Tension
The tongue is connected to more muscles than you might realize. This includes the mouth, jaw, neck, shoulders, as well as the rest of the body. When there is a tongue tie, the tongue is restricted and then the body may try to find other ways to compensate. This can result in jaw tension, neck tightness, and back tension. Some people may additionally complain of frequent headaches or migraines due to the tension.
Sleep Symptoms
Some sleep symptoms that are associated with tongue ties are snoring, open mouth breathing, restless sleep, waking up frequently, teeth grinding, daytime fatigue, and suspected sleep apnea. In children, poor sleep can result in frequent bed wetting, difficulty focusing, hyperactivity, and waking up tired even after a full night of sleep.
When should you or your child get a tongue tie evaluation?
It should be noted that this is not an exhaustive list of signs and symptoms of a tongue tie. These are common signs observed, however, a full evaluation should be completed in order to determine if it is a tongue tie contributing to these symptoms rather than other structural deficits, such as enlarged tonsils.
Other signs and symptoms of a tongue tie may include difficulty chewing certain textures, picky eating, trouble swallowing pills, narrow palate, orthodontic relapse, increased cavities, and receding gum lines.
If you are finding yourself resonating with some of the signs and symptoms listed above, a tongue tie evaluation may be beneficial for you. During this evaluation, a provider will evaluate the tongue's ability to move in the mouth, where the tongue sits at rest, breathing patterns, speech, swallowing, chewing, and more!
At Rooted Speech and Myo, we are a team of speech therapists trained specifically in myofunctional therapy. We will complete a thorough myofunctional evaluation including screening for a possible tongue tie. If a tongue tie is suspected, we may collaborate with other providers, such as dentists, orthodontists, ENTs, and other airway-focused providers.
Ready to take the next step? Click here to schedule a myofunctional evaluation today!