Tongue tie issues do not simply effect breastfeeding. They can continue to cause issues well into adulthood. These are some symptoms to look out for at different stages.
These symptoms are taken from the book "Tongue-Tied" by Richard Baxter, DMD, MS.
Symptoms of Tongue-Tie with Babies Taking Purees (6 months +)
- Poor active lip movement to clear spoon (spoon bowl is still full after removal from mouth)
- Losing food anteriorly during the swallow after multiple exposures
- Gagging, coughing, or choking
- Tongue thrust pattern (forceful protrusion of tongue out of the mouth)
Be aware that pouches with purees do not encourage appropriate development of the oral musculature and progression of feeding skills. No judgement here! It is important to get your baby fed! But if your baby is really struggling to eat off a spoon, you may want to get an opinion from a professional tongue-tie specialist.
Symptoms of Tongue-Tie with Babies Eating Soft Foods (6-8 months +)
- Gagging, coughing, or choking with textured purees or soft solids after a week of attempts
- No attempt to self-feed or bring meltables to the mouth
- Continued use of suckle pattern
- Tongue thrust or excessive anterior loss of bolus
- History of poor breastfeeding/bottle-feeding
- Inability to use a straw or open cup for thin liquids
Symptoms of Tongue-Tie with Babies Eating Solids (9-12 months +)
= Limited range of foods; labeled a "picky eater"
- Limited lingual laterization to chew surfaces
- Facilitating swallow with drinking
- Multiple swallows per bite
- Problems cleaning teeth surfaces (often history of cavities, dental work)
- History of poor breastfeeding/bottle-feeding and/or prolonged purees
- Pocketing of foods
- Extended feeding times
- Grazing
- Unilateral chewing
- Continued use of suckle or tongue-thrust pattern
- Poor weight gain
Is a Tongue-Tie Affecting My Child's Speech?
- Frustration with communication
- Poor speech intelligibility in connected speech (e.g. phrases, sentences, conversation)
- Strange errors (e.g. frequent distortions or errors that are uncommon)
- Stuttering
- Slow and/or slurred speech
- Apraxic-like speech:
- Inconsistent speech sound errors (e.g. may say "fen" for pen, then say "ben" for pen on the next repetition)
- Voicing errors (e.g. "down" for "town" or "ped" for "bed")
- Placing stress on syllables incorrectly
- Errors with vowel sounds
- Avoids certain words or speaking situations
- Speech delays or disorders, particularly errors with the following speech sounds
- K, G, and NG (e.g. sing)
- SH, CH, DGE (e.g. edge), Y (i.e. yes)
- TH (e.g. tooth or those)
- T, D, N, L, R, S, Z
Other Additional Subtle Symptoms That May Point Towards A Tongue-Tie
- Oral Breathing which can then cause the following:
- Oxygen deprivation
- Inflammation of adenoids and tonsils which can then cause:
- Chronic recurrent ear infections
- Allergies & Asthma
- Hyposmia
- Anosmia (poor or absent sense of smell)
- Childhood eczema
- Atopic dermatitis
- Sleep-disordered breathing can lead to:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Symptoms that mimic attention deficit disorder (ADD)
- ADHD
- Sleep apnea
- Grinding or clenching the teeth
- Nighttime bed wetting
- Dental Issues such as:
- Gum recession
- Difficult-t0-clean areas
- Crooked teeth
- Malocclusions
- Gap in the teeth (lip tie)
- Dental cavities
- Braces & Jaw surgeries
Adult Symptoms That Improve With Tongue-Tie Release
- Neck tension or pain
- TMJ pain
- Migraine and other headaches
- Sleep disorders
- Incontinency & pelvic floor issues
- Sleep apnea
- Snoring
- Reflux & digestive issues
- Nighttime grinding and clenching of teeth
- Dental problems
- Stiffness of shoulders
- A cold feeling in the extremities
- An obstructed feeling in the throat
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Dry skin
- Irritability and/or anxiety, and nervousness
- Muscle cramps
- Difficulty in playing wind instruments and hoarseness
Do all these signs automatically mean you have a tongue-tie as an adult? No, there can be multiple reasons for some of these symptoms but why not see a professional and get a tongue-tie ruled out if you are having any of these issues? It may the simplest fix that can change your life.
xo Rachelle <3
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