If you don’t have babies, grandbabies, or friends with babies, you may not have heard about tongue-tied—or orally restricted—infant. In babies, these restrictions can lead to a multitude of symptoms and issues, including poor latch on the breast or bottle, falling asleep while feeding, mouth breathing/snoring, and body tension. And to be honest, the orally restricted infant is a whole article in itself.
As a massage therapist specializing in tongue-tied infants, by extension I also work with their tongue-tied parents, as oral restrictions are often inherited. I observe and assess oral restrictions in all adults, as these restrictions can contribute to tension in the body and other related issues.
What is a “tongue-tie”?
“Tongue-tied” is really a catch-all for TOTs, Tethered Oral Tissues. A person can have up to 7 oral restrictions, including the tongue, upper lip, lower lip, upper cheeks, and lower cheeks. According to Richard Baxter, DMD, MS, in his book, “Tongue Tied”, “a tongue-tie results from a failure of the tissue under the tongue to completely resorb during development. This is a process known as apoptosis (programmed cell death), which occurs around the 12th week in utero. A fault in the apoptotic process can leave a string under the tongue that is connected too high on the gum and under the surface of the tongue.” These “strings” are excess connective tissue, called fascia, which naturally covers every structure in our bodies, including muscles, organs and bones.
Everything is connected
When it comes to “oral restrictions” everything is truly “all connected”. When one has a tongue-tie, this one restriction effects what Tom Myers calls, the Deep Front Line. Meaning, fascially, your tongue is connected to your neck, shoulders, diaphragm, lower back, behind the knees and big toes. While issues can present for the tongue-tied person from infancy, they are sometimes not severe enough to be addressed, and often, the symptoms that can be traced back to oral restrictions are simply not recognized as such. However, after years of working with orally restricted individuals, I can usually tell by body tension when someone may have oral restrictions. I’m often told they have always had shoulder, neck or other tension in their body they can’t explain, stretch out or otherwise address. But once a person has lived decades being orally restricted, what’s the point in knowing about it now? It obviously hasn’t stopped them from growing up, having a life, breathing, and functioning as a human being? Or has it?
Adult issues that may be caused by oral restrictions:
- Neck tension or pain
- Shoulder tension or pain
- TMJ pain
- Migraines and other headaches
- Sleep disorders
- Reflux
- Digestive issues
- Aerophagia – excessive and repetitive air swallowing
- Nighttime grinding and clenching of teeth
- Head in forward position
- Speech impediments
Has your body ever truly been relaxed/released?
We don’t know what we don’t know. If a person has been fascially restricted since IN UTERO, what does it even feel like to be fully relaxed and open? If a person has a tongue-tie, does that mean they need to have the restriction released? By who? When? How? And what type of massage/bodywork can help? If you have questions or would like to have a session to see if together we can address some long-standing tension, make your appointment today!
About your tongue-tie therapist
Marta provides not only therapy and resources to get to the root cause of issues and symptoms, but she also educates and equips her clients to continue therapy at home, which is where true and lasting change occurs. While Marta cannot diagnose oral restrictions, she can assess a client’s oral, cranial and body tension and refer them to dental providers who can, if requested. And if you think you may have tethered oral tissues, please read Tongue Tied, by Richard Baxter, DMD, DS. It is a great start to understanding oral restrictions and their implications.