Understanding the Impact of Tongue Tie Release in Adults
- Suzanne Barber
- May 19
- 2 min read
Every day in my clinic, I meet families with babies who have a tongue tie. Not surprisingly, I often discover one or other parent also is tongue tied, but is unaware as that is the normal anatomy for them. It is interesting for me and helpful for the assessment to identify issues that parents have had with their anatomy in order to consider the potential impact on their baby and sometimes it leads to conversations about treatment in adult hood.
It also has the impact of reassuring parents that that their baby's anatomy is good enough and tongue tie surgery may not be necessary or relevant, if there are no feeding problems and lay to rest concerns about the 'what ifs' when the child is older
For those who undergo tongue tie release later in life, the experience can be transformative which is why I decided to write this post.
What Is Tongue Tie and How Does It Affect Adults?
A tongue tie is generally described where the frenulum, the piece of skin under the tongue, is unusually short, tight or thick. The restriction of movement can lead to speech distortion, problems and difficulty moving food around the mouth, or swallowing comfortably, challenges with mouth hygiene and breathing issues. We are able to compensate for these issues, and sometimes do not realise the length in which we have adapted to deal with sub optimal tongue movement.
The easiest way to demonstrate the difference of a tongue tie release in an adult is to invite you to watch a video, which, although made some years ago, still makes an impact in today's world.
Food for thought?
Having a tongue tie release as an adult can be life changing experience. It is important to make an informed decision as to whether this would be the right thing for you as it is not without cost and further support and treatment may be required to help you compensate for the change and support and treatment may be required to help you compensate for the change in function.
As always, I would encourage you to seek a professional opinion and advice from a reputable health professional, and perhaps your GP may be able to advise you of local services.