Adult Tongue Tie Surgery: Is it Worth It? (my experience)
You may have heard about babies getting their tongue ties released, but did you know that adult tongue tie surgery can be a transformative solution for those of us experiencing seemingly random symptoms?
In this blog post, I’m going to share my journey of discovering how my tongue and lip ties were causing symptoms I’ve had for as long as I can remember, and how I went about revising them.
Discovering the intricate connections between oral ties, fascia, and bodily symptoms can be a revelation for those struggling with unresolved health issues. It certainly was for me, and I hope that this blog post can help point you in the right direction if it is for you too.
As adults, we typically don’t think of tongue and lip ties being an issue, and tongue surgery isn’t something on our radar.
But, as we’ll dive into, tethered oral fascia can cause a cascade of imbalance and dysfunction throughout your entire body, which can ultimately contribute to symptoms and the inability to get well, despite all your best efforts.
So, if you’re ready to dive deep into the rabbit hole of adult tongue tie surgery with me, let’s go!
Understanding Oral Ties: Causes and Symptoms
Oral ties - or ankyloglossia for the technical term - are tethered oral tissues caused by thick, short, or tight frenulum (the connective tissue that connects the floor of the mouth to the tongue and the lips to the gums).
Tongue tie = the tongue is tied to the floor of the mouth too tightly and it restricts normal movement
Lip tie = the lips are tied to the gums too tightly and it restricts movement
Buccal tie = the same thing, but just on the cheeks instead of the midline
These tight oral tissues, although small in the grand scheme of your body, can play a significant role in symptoms and bodily dysfunction.
Here is just a short list of the common symptoms of oral ties found in babies, and adults.
Symptoms in Babies
Difficulty latching and breastfeeding
Poor weight gain or weight loss
Reflux, gas, and colic
Maternal symptoms such as clogged milk ducts, mastitis, and low milk supply
Symptoms in Adults
TMJ pain and jaw issues
Sleep apnea and snoring
Headaches, migraines, and neck tension
Dental problems and malocclusion
Digestive issues and nervous system dysregulation
Musculoskeletal issues and posture abnormalities
Respiratory problems and sinus issues
The Role of Fascia: Connecting the Dots
Now, you might be wondering about how the potential tongue tie symptoms in adulthood can span most of the body. Enter: the fascia.
Learning about fascia was probably the biggest lightbulb moment I had in this rabbit hole.
You can think of fascia as a thin, connective tissue sheath that keeps everything in place in the body: your organs, your muscles, your blood vessels, and nerves. A good analogy is thinking of it like the orange pith - a spider web-like matrix of structural support.
Fascia emerges as a central player in understanding the far-reaching effects of oral ties. This intricate connective tissue not only provides structural support but also serves as a sensory organ, facilitating bodily responses to internal and external stressors.
The blood, lymph, and cerebrospinal fluid are considered liquid fascia that carry nourishment, information, hormones, and chemical mediators throughout the body. Freaking cool, right?
Fascia's involvement in maintaining fluid flow throughout the body underscores its significance in overall health.
Fascia's Connection to the Tongue
Now, back to the tongue: the tongue connects via fascia down to your toes.
This means that if there is a restriction at the tongue, we’re not just looking at reduced mobility of the tongue but also compensation and dysfunction all the way down the fascia line.
As it turns out, proper mobility and positioning of your tongue are immensely important.
A properly positioned tongue (resting on the roof of your mouth) supports the proper growth and development of your nose, upper and lower jaw, and airway. A tongue that can’t get into position may have negative impacts on the musculoskeletal/fascial system, dental health, airway health, digestion, and even the nervous system.
Recognizing the Signs as an Adult with a Tongue Tie
As a kid that grew up mouth breathing with a tongue that couldn’t reach the roof of my mouth due to the restriction, it’s no wonder I required significant orthodontic work and four wisdom teeth removed because of “lack of space”.
My face architect (my tongue) couldn’t do its job so my jaw/teeth/airway didn’t reach its full potential.
Suddenly, decades of seemingly unrelated symptoms all clicked into place.
And, as a women’s health practitioner, my whole view of a root-cause approach got majorly shaken up!
You can be doing all the right things to improve your health: adequately nourishing yourself, crushing your mineral intake, getting sunlight, moving in a way that supports your body, working on stress. ALL of the things.
But, if you have a tongue tie that’s causing significant restriction in your body, those efforts will likely fall just short of enabling you to see meaningful progress on your symptoms.
It doesn’t get more root-cause than airway and fascia support, in my opinion. And I now include screening and tongue tie support in my coaching programs as a result!
Navigating Adult Tongue Tie Diagnosis and Surgery
Navigating the path to diagnosis and adult tongue tie surgery requires a comprehensive approach, involving collaboration between various healthcare professionals. From initial assessments with myofunctional therapists and ENT specialists to consultations with airway dentists, each step is essential in crafting a tailored treatment plan.
Here is what the process of assembling a care team looked like for me.
Step 1: an initial assessment with a myofunctional therapist to look at potential ties and tongue tone.
In this session, which was done via Zoom, she was able to identify grade 3 ties on my tongue and my upper lip and grade 2 buccal and lower lip ties. She was also able to see through her assessments how limited my tongue range of motion was and how much tension and muscle recruitment there was in my neck for tasks like speaking and swallowing.
In her professional opinion, she felt confident that my tethered oral tissues were to blame for my neck pain and headaches. She helped me map out a game plan of who else I needed to see and what the whole process would look like from start to finish.
Step 2: an initial assessment with an ENT to look at my nose/sinuses.
This step is to make sure there aren’t major structural issues for proper breathing because a tongue tie release wouldn’t be able to overcome issues here.
In this appointment, we found I have a deviated septum (something I’ve known since childhood) but I opted not to pursue surgery for this at this time because I can fully breathe through my nose even with the deviation, and my symptoms were not directly related to nasal issues. I may consider it down the road but we will see.
Step 3: an initial assessment with an airway dentist to officially diagnose my ties and determine if I was a candidate for a release based on the size of my palate and the size of my airway.
This process involved some measurements, some functional tests, and an airway x-ray.
This is VERY important because you don’t want to release a tongue tie if there is no space for the tongue. It will create a bunch of new issues. He also diagnosed grade 3 tongue and upper lip ties and didn’t think any of the grade 2’s needed to be released.
After this appointment, I was officially cleared to schedule a release.
Based on my research, it was important to me to find a dentist that worked closely with my myofunctional therapist, utilized a CO2 laser instead of scissors and placed dissolvable stitches to the tongue wound rather than leaving it open. These would be great questions to ask as you interview potential providers in your area.
Final step: I went back to my myofunctional therapist with all the info from my other appointments and she helped me formulate a game plan.
Once the tongue & lip tie release was scheduled, we booked ~5 weeks of pre-procedure myofunctional therapy to start to tone the tongue to get the most out of the procedure.
You can think of myofunctional therapy like crossfit for your tongue/mouth. Many of the movements were seriously challenging! You’ll be doing movement 3x/day leading up to the procedure and I noticed symptom improvements just from these. There were certain benchmarks that we needed to hit to be cleared for the release.
If you are looking for providers in your area here are some resources and databases that I found helpful as I was beginning my search:
Overview of the Adult Tongue Tie Surgery
The Procedure
An adult tongue and upper lip tie surgery is a relatively quick, outpatient procedure typically performed with local anesthesia.
I highly recommend eating a large meal before the procedure, since once you’re finished, eating (and even drinking at first) can be quite uncomfortable and challenging.
Once in the treatment room, an assistant applies a topical numbing cream under the tongue and on any other sites you’re addressing. This is followed by lidocaine injections to ensure complete numbness in the areas to be treated.
The dentist then reviews the procedure steps, conducts pre-operative tests, and measurements, and takes photographs to document the initial state of your frenum.
The actual release is done using a CO2 laser, which is efficient and minimally painful (although the smell produced during the procedure was not the most enjoyable).
During the procedure, the dentist periodically checks the fascial tension to ensure a comprehensive release.
Post-procedure, patients are given stitches if necessary, and post-operative instructions are provided.
It is crucial to have a pain management plan as the local anesthesia wears off, which might include over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen.
Post-Operative Care and Recovery
The initial 24 hours post-procedure are crucial for managing discomfort, especially as the tissue begins to heal. Patients might find eating and talking difficult, often relying on liquid or soft diets like smoothies, soups, and later transitioning to soft foods.
Patients are instructed to perform specific stretches and exercises by their myofunctional therapist to prevent the reattachment of the treated areas.
These exercises are essential for proper healing and to maximize the effectiveness of the procedure. Despite the discomfort, activities like talking and using the tongue as much as possible can aid in quicker recovery and adaptation (something I didn’t discover until a few days after my procedure!).
Long-Term Healing and Therapy
Recovery from a tongue and upper lip tie release involves a gradual process of fascial adjustment and healing.
It’s very common to experience intermittent episodes of discomfort or tightening, which are normal as the body adapts to the changes.
Consistency in following myofunctional therapy for the weeks after your procedure is key to achieving optimal outcomes and getting over this period of contracture and re-tighting of the tissue.
The healing process, coupled with ongoing myofunctional therapy, ensures that patients not only recover from the immediate effects of the procedure but also make lasting adjustments to their oral functionality.
This comprehensive, whole-body approach helps address the underlying issues associated with tongue and lip ties, providing significant relief from chronic symptoms and enhancing overall quality of life.
Conclusion
If you resonate with any of the symptoms mentioned, I would highly recommend getting evaluated by a myofunctional therapist who is trained to identify oral ties in adults.
It was so life-changing for me to understand that my chronic tension, headaches, and anxiety weren’t just symptoms I had to live with.
And as a women’s health practitioner who uses a functional approach with clients, diving deep into the world of tethered oral tissue has fired me up even more when it comes to spreading the word about the benefits of adult tongue tie surgery.