Tongue Tie

Do you have a limited range of motion in your tongue? Has your speech been affected by this? Might you have a son or daughter who talks or speaks their words with difficulty. If so, this could be a condition known as tongue-tie. Tongue-tie is an irregularity present at birth in which a band of connective tissue under the tongue (also known as the lingual frenulum) is unusually tight, thick or short. While this is a fairly common condition that is easily remedied, putting off treatment can exacerbate a variety of other health issues.

At Millennium Dental Associates, our biological approach takes your entire body and medical history into account during diagnostic and treatment phases. In many cases, patients that come to us have endured illnesses and undesirable symptoms for years, decades or even their whole lives. Such patients are often relieved to find that the solution to their problem lies in assessing and attending to their oral health.

In the case of a tongue-tie, it’s truly incredible how much such a small band of tissue under the tongue can hinder a person’s potential. This condition creates a restriction in the fluid motion of the tongue that begins your swallow process. If this process is not working well, your body will be set up for problems throughout your lifetime. Here are a series of other issues a tongue-tie can cause:

• Poor oral hygiene habits can stem from difficulty sweeping food debris from teeth.
• Frustration with oral activities such as playing wind instruments, kissing and being able to participate in other everyday social and solitary tasks.
• Anyone with a tongue-tie may also or has experienced abnormal development and narrowing of the jaws. This narrowing and the tongue-tie itself can lead to or exacerbate  mouth breathing and snoring during sleep, causing sleep apnea and preventing you from experiencing the deepest levels of sleep.  This occurs in young children as well as grown adults.
• Having a tongue tie can impact most any part of the body from the tip of the tongue to your hips, affecting your stability, alignment and movement. This is because the tongue is attached to a system of connective tissues and muscles known as the deep front line.

With the right tool and treatment, the tongue-tie can be quickly remedied. The state-of-the-art technique of choice used today is laser surgery. While laser surgery may sound intimidating, it’s the least invasive and most precise choice. There’s no need for stitches or a general anesthetic. After the operation is over, the majority of patients experience very little pain or swelling. Most importantly, laser surgery has a very high success rate and is extremely safe.

NOTE** It is imperative that the tissues and muscles be conditioned prior to the procedure and up to a month following to help assure that the tissues remain unbound.

With a great option like tongue-tie laser surgery, there’s no reason to let a seemingly small issue like this continue to perpetuate bigger problems. Call us today to book your appointment @ 480-948-0560.