Legitimately… in my life, I have never thought so much about the mouth, the tongue specifically, and how it works as I have the past 2 years. I had no idea how it could change my life, my health focus, and even the direction of my career. Yes, the tongue.

(Buckle up, y’all. This will be a long one…)

Throwback to almost exactly 2 years ago: My spicy baby girl was born a month into the COVID-19 pandemic. This was my second — and last — baby, and I had a very limited amount of experience to understand what normal was as it relates to newborn behavior, feeding, calming, et cetera. (Not to mention the sheer stress and overwhelm we were all feeling worldwide as we grappled with whatever this virus would mean for us.) All I knew is on top of the all-consuming stress of quarantine and parenting an older toddler, both my baby and I were struggling almost 24 hours a day. She wanted to nurse constantly, she hardly slept, she was easily startled and she screamed almost all the time. My husband decided not to take much paternity leave and due to the pandemic itself we had decided to keep our son home from daycare to minimize exposure for us all. The first weeks of her life simultaneously flew by and dragged on in a haze of constant nursing, snuggling, baby wearing, with a nagging sensation that something was wrong.

The lactation consultant we worked with in the hospital clued me into the presence of her tongue and lip ties the day after she was born, and even wrote a letter for me to bring to our pediatrician, who was quick to dismiss it and diagnose her with reflux. So we dutifully began giving her syringes full of Maalox three times a day for at least 2 weeks, before coming to the realization that it definitely wasn’t working. Luckily, we had access to another phenomenal lactation consultant who taught me just how much oral tethers (like tongue ties) prevent a baby from feeding efficiently, and how they can’t calm themselves because the nervous system depends on the tongue being sealed to the roof of the mouth to activate the vagus nerve which controls much of our calming and ability to sleep. How the appropriate tongue posture helps to grow and shape craniofacial development, how it influences our spinal posture and how ties can literally impair how our bodies grow and function.

Who the hell knew. I certainly didn’t.

So we started working toward a release. Which was also more complex than I imagined. The first one failed because the provider didn’t mention how important OT and bodywork were to healing. Before the revision, we chose a different provider and did a round of OT, craniosacral therapy, stretches and exercises. Much more successful outcome and a much happier baby. (Well, still doesn’t sleep well but I’m beginning to think she just has FOMO…)

This whole process took the better part of 9 months, and during that time I learned my sweet 4 year old son had all the same ties as my daughter did… and I had a severe tongue tie as well. Which actually explains the speech and swallowing issues I had as a child, nightly jaw clenching and grinding, and chronic headaches. I also think it helped accelerate the severity of my scoliosis, which I am researching with my scoliosis patients now.

And guess which precocious, brilliant now-5-year-old has developed scoliosis. Mild, but still confirmed by x-ray. And so young too… Therefore, given my theory on how oral function and tongue posture influences spinal position & development, we started him on rapid palatal expanders and got his tongue tie released.

Obviously these changes are most beneficial while we’re still growing, but we also know through research that scoliosis can progress over time, between a half degree and a full degree (or more each year). The progression can amplify as we age, particularly after menopause or with osteoporosis. I decided to work on my own issues in case my theory is correct, in hopes that I could lower some risk of my own progression.

So far, here’s my timeline:
May 2021 — started expanding upper palate with ALF device & TMJ dentist (prepare for tongue tie release)
June 2021 — began myofunctional therapy, retraining tongue position & swallow
December 2021 — tongue & lip tie release procedure
May 2022 — second set of palatal expanders planned with airway-focused dentist

I also plan on meeting with an ENT, given the new dentist noted a deviated septum and decreased airflow through one side of my nose. She explained that we cannot focus on one portion of the airway (the lower, being the mouth) and ignore the other (the upper).

Unfortunately, I’m learning that breaking the habits takes daily practice. It’s a long road, and I’m still working on “unwinding” all of the tensions and compensatory movement patterns that are keeping me in pain and not functioning at my best. I’m regularly going for neuromuscular massage therapy, doing my own tongue exercises and scoliosis exercises, and it can feel very discouraging. I’m hoping that maybe through my experience and the research data I’m collecting with my patients, that maybe we can forge a path for people coming down the line. Fingers crossed…

Do you have a tongue tie? Here are some things that could be signs:

• Swallowing or speech issues

• History of plagiocephaly (flat spot on head) or torticollis

• Scoliosis

• Forward head posture, forward shoulders

• Chronic neck and facial tension

• Headaches or TMJ/ jaw pain

• Clenching and grinding, particularly at night

• Snoring & sleep apnea

• Mouth breathing & difficulty breathing through the nose

• Digestive issues

• Pelvic floor issues (yes, they are related)

If you have more than one of these, you may want to find a myofunctional therapist or see an airway-focused dentist for assessment.

Phew! If you’re still reading, congrats, you made it! Check back in later for an update, if you’re interested. I’ll also list some resources that have helped me on my journey, in case anyone wants to learn more. (And if you’re on Instagram, look me up to see the gory pictures in my Tongue Tied story highlights).