Testing… Testing… Tongue, Two, Three
Do these fun tongue twisters tie up your tongue?
- He threw three free throws.
- A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
Have you ever felt embarrassed because you got “tongue-tied” during a speech or conversation and the words just wouldn’t come out right?
Did you know that if you or someone you know is MEDICALLY TONGUE-TIED, it could be a whole lot more detrimental than just a blow to the ego?
The type of tongue-tie that I am referring to is clinically called ankyloglossia. It is when the tongue is essentially leashed to the floor of the mouth by a ligament that restricts the tongue’s mobility and range of motion to various degrees depending on the severity.
Although the symptoms that I will address in this article may be common to many people, they are NOT HEALTHY. Unfortunately, they can put you at risk for additional health conditions, some of which have the potential to become life threatening[1]. The problem currently is that not enough medical or dental professionals have considered how serious of a condition a tongue-tie is and how it may be linked to so many potential comorbidities. For that reason, they often do not make it a priority to screen for or treat it with early intervention.
The good news is that you don’t have to be a specialist of any kind to recognize a few of these possible signs of a potential tongue-tie:
- Difficulty latching on when breastfeeding baby
- Little to no spacing between a child’s primary (baby) teeth
- Mouth breathing
- A deep palate (roof of mouth)
- Narrow, V-shaped jaws
- Abnormal eating, speaking or breathing habits
If you notice any of these signs in yourself or your loved one, we encourage you to give our Citrus Heights office a call and make an appointment with Dr. Darryl Azouz to find out if you have a tongue-tie and if intervention is advised.
Dr. Azouz is a biological dentist who partners with a team of specialists, including Myofunctional therapists and Craniosacral practitioners to be sure that his patients get the best treatment outcomes possible.
Although intervention at the earliest age is ideal, a tongue-tie revision at any age along with myofunctional therapy (essentially physical therapy for the mouth) has been proven to be very effective in decreasing a number of problems including mouth breathing and symptoms of Sleep Related Breathing Disorders (SRBD)[2].
Many people don’t realize that a tongue-tie can lead to SRBD, including Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), which have been associated with the following health issues:
- Mouth breathing
- Impaired growth
- Behavior problems
- Learning problems
- Cardiovascular disease
- Respiratory illnesses
- Metabolic disease
- Enlarged tonsils and adenoids from mouth breathing
- Jaw joint (TMJ) disorders
- Grinding and clenching teeth (bruxism)
- Dental caries (cavities)
- Gum (periodontal) disease
A tongue-tie can lead to SRBD due to the tongue’s movement being restricted toward the floor of the mouth. This in turn prohibits the tongue to naturally push the upper jaw outward into a healthy wide and broad shape. If a healthy arch form of the jaws is not achieved early in life, it will be much more expensive for the patient in the future.
In what ways could a tongue-tie which may lead to underdeveloped jaw forms potentially impact a person’s future in terms of health and finances? Consider the following:
- Cost of treatment to achieve proper arch forms
- Cost to repair broken down teeth and gums
- Loss of teeth
- Cost to replace lost teeth
- Pain in the face, mouth and especially the jaw joints (TMJ)
- Increased overall illness and discomfort
- Loss of wages due to medical appointments
- Increased medical bills
- Decreased energy and quality of life
- Anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD
- High blood pressure, stroke
- And this list can go on and on…….
So, why wait to give us a call to get yourself and your loved ones evaluated for a tongue-tie, lip-tie, underdeveloped arches and any other sleep related breathing disorder symptoms that we have years of experience identifying and helping address?
Call us today at 916-961-2020
- https://www.superbreathers.com/for-doctors
- https://www.thebreatheinstitute.com/myofunctional-therapy.html
Written by Angela Goldthwaite RDAEF2