The Unrestricted Truth: Can Adults Have Lip or Tongue-Ties?

A lip or tongue-tie is more commonly found (and treated) in infants and young children. Why? This type of restriction can become evident when a baby struggles to nurse or take a bottle, or when a child has difficulty eating certain foods or practices mouth breathing. But what about adults? Can older individuals struggle with limited oral movement because of tight, banded tissues behind the upper lip or beneath the tongue? The only way to find out is to keep reading and discover what signs indicate a problem and whether a frenectomy can help.

What Signs Indicate an Adult Lip or Tongue Tie?

It might seem odd to have a lip or tongue-tie as an adult, especially since these are often treated much earlier in life; however, circumstances can cause this problem to remain unresolved for many years. If you are an adult and notice any of the following signs, make sure to contact a local expert who can help:

• Difficulty speaking without a lisp
• Troubled breathing (often inhaling and exhaling through the mouth)
• Difficulty eating or drinking
• The tongue appears heart-shaped or notched
• You struggle to lift your tongue upward toward your teeth or side to side
• Your tongue will not move beyond your lower teeth

Why is Treatment Necessary?

As an adult with a lip or tongue-tie, you might think it’s unnecessary to seek treatment for this type of problem, especially if you have lived with it for decades. However, failing to seek help can put you at risk for more serious issues – those that affect your overall well-being, such as:

• Declining oral health, as you will be unable to remove food from your teeth with your tongue or push it toward the back of your mouth for complete consumption. This can cause cavities, gum disease, and tooth decay.
• Jaw pain or TMJ disorder because impaired swallowing causes additional strain on the jaw joints, which can cause them to become inflamed over time, leading to TMD.
• Speech impediment (lisp) that makes it hard to enunciate certain words, letters, or sounds. If the tongue is restricted, it cannot properly meet with teeth to allow clear speech.
• Poor sleep-breathing habits, like sleep apnea. If the banded tissue beneath the tongue causes any kind of tooth misalignment, it might also mean that you have a smaller upper palate as well as a narrowed airway. If it becomes obstructed throughout the night, you will experience interruptions that can lead to chronic fatigue and other serious health problems.

Can a Frenectomy Help?

Treating a lip or tongue-tie requires a procedure known as a frenectomy. Used on infants, children, teenagers, and adults, it is minimally invasive because of the soft tissue laser that is used to quickly release the banded tissue.

A certified dentist and lip and tongue-tie expert can perform the lightning-fast process by moving the laser’s concentrated beam of light across the tissue, immediately cauterizing it so there is minimal bleeding and swelling. Its optimal precision prevents healthy tissues from being touched, and the chances of post-operative infection are significantly reduced because of the laser’s ability to sterilize the area.

No one is too old for lip or tongue-tie treatment. With the advancements in dental technology that are available today, improving oral movement and function is now easier than ever before.

About the Author
Dr. Maggie Davis is a board-certified pediatric dentist and Diplomate in the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. She is certified in lip and tongue-ties by the American Board of Laser Surgery, and she is a graduate of Dr. Richard Baxter’s Tongue Tie Academy and TOTs: Tethered Oral Tissues Program. If you are an adult who is experiencing symptoms associated with a lip or tongue-tie, call our office at (727) 786-7551 or visit our website. We’ll be here to discuss your options and how we can help.