Articles
Tongue- and lip-tie issues can be complex.
We’re here to present the latest thinking on tongue-ties in a clear and easy-to-read format. We hope these thoughts are helpful whether you are a patient, professional, or family member as you learn more on your journey. For more insights, go to TongueTie.com.
Don’t Get That Tongue-Tie Clipped or Snipped… Get a Full Release Instead.
What is a full tongue-tie release? Hint: It’s not a clip or a snip! I don’t like the term “clip” or “snip.” Those are four-letter words to me. If I hear a baby or child was clipped or snipped, about 95% of the time it wasn’t enough. Normally a clip or snip is performed by a provider at the hospital or in the office (ENT or pediatrician), or while the child was put to sleep (it’s not necessary to put kids to sleep for this procedure, but that’s another topic). Warning images of tongues ahead… The proper term is really a release of the tight tissue, so providers who are up-to-date will call the procedure a “release” instead of clip or snip. The concept that treating a tongue-tie is “no big deal” is what leads to the problem with the clip. If they do a clip, they will almost always cut halfway with scissors, and leave a thick band of tissue. If it’s cut halfway, it will work half the time. They think they are getting it all, but in reality, if you were to lift up on the tongue, it ends up looking like this: See that thick […]
Tongue-Tie vs. Symptomatic Tongue Restriction
Often professionals think of tongue-tie as a simple condition; it’s a string under the tongue, and you just snip it and you’re done. “What’s the big deal?” they say. Well, the concept of a string is much simplified (and we use the word in the title of our book as a metaphor) but it’s actually a webbing of fascia or connective tissue that is folded up into a gathering under the tongue that has a variable thickness, elasticity, and location of attachment. In a nutshell, it’s complicated and can have many different appearances from a to-the-tip tie (anterior tongue-tie), to a virtually invisible band of restrictive tissue (posterior tongue-tie). The difficulty in treating this condition is because any variation of appearance can cause any range of symptoms. A to-the-tip tie can sometimes cause relatively few issues, and a hidden thick webbing that many healthcare providers would dismiss or say there is “no tie” can cause terrible symptoms that greatly affect a family’s quality of life. Symptoms and function are more important than appearance. The picture below is of a baby who was a failure to thrive and no one could figure out why. He had a hidden tongue restriction, and […]
Thoughts on Tongue-Tied Book, One Year Later
It’s been a whole year since Tongue-Tied was released (born) after a year-long gestation. We have been so blessed by the many supporters both parents and professionals that made this project possible. Our goal is to help as many people as we can who are struggling with tongue and lip-tie issues. We have been a Bestselling book on Amazon for a whole year in Pediatric Dentistry, and have even been the #1 Bestseller in tougher categories like Parenting Babies and Toddlers, Speech and Audiology, Children’s Health, and more. We would have never dreamed that this book would reach such a vast and global audience, and has been sold in over 20 different counties. We are truly blessed and thankful for the opportunity to help children and families all over the globe. We want to be a blessing in return to those around the world who are in dire poverty and suffering from things that those of us in developing countries take for granted like clean water and freedom from preventable diseases like diarrhea. We have patterned with Neverthrist Water to provide clean water in Chad, Cambodia, and Uganda to people who travel for hours each day to fetch dirty water. […]