Tongue-Tie & Frenectomy
Therapy before a tongue-tie release and rehabilitation after one, coordinated step by step with the provider performing the procedure.
Understanding tongue ties
A tongue tie is a band of tissue under the tongue that restricts its range of motion. When the tongue cannot lift, spread, or move freely, the body compensates: swallowing recruits the wrong muscles, the tongue rests low, and speech or feeding can be affected. Those compensations become habits of their own.
A release, called a frenectomy, frees the tissue, but it does not teach the tongue what to do with its new range. That is where therapy comes in. Outcomes are best when the muscles are prepared before a release and retrained after one.
Signs we see
- Limited tongue lift or a heart-shaped tongue tip
- Feeding difficulty in infants, messy or slow eating in children
- Speech sounds that resist traditional therapy
- Neck, jaw, or lip compensations during swallowing
- A dentist, ENT, or lactation consultant recommending therapy around a release
How therapy helps
Before a release, we build tongue strength, awareness, and range so the new freedom has something to work with. After one, we time rehabilitation with the releasing provider, retraining rest posture, swallowing, and, where relevant, the speech sounds that depended on the old pattern.
Because this practice is built on speech-language pathology training, sound production is assessed and folded into the plan whenever it is part of the picture. Written reports keep the releasing provider in the loop at every phase.
What to expect
- A functional tongue assessment as part of the comprehensive evaluation
- A short preparation block before the release date
- Rehabilitation sessions timed with the releasing provider
- Five to ten minutes of daily practice at home between visits
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