Is your tongue tie ruining your life?
When we talk about having a tongue tie it is usually in relation to babies and their ability to successfully breastfeed. What we do not talk about is how many adults are tied too.
Adults can have a tongue tie
Tongue ties do not disappear at a year old and they cause more than just breastfeeding issues.
Just because you or your baby breastfed effectivly does not mean you are without a tie.
My story (As written originally in October 2017)
Up until about 5 months ago I had no clue that I had a tongue tie or that anything was wrong with my tongue. I knew I had a lip tie (which caused the small gap in my front teeth) but that silly tongue tie went unnoticed for years.
My mother breastfed me as a baby. I did not have any issues breastfeeding. I nursed like a champ. I gained weight. I was a healthy baby. When it was time to eat solid food I did not have any issues. I was a normal kid.
Growing up
In middle school I started to notice intense headaches. I do not really remember if I had them before that and were dull or if they just popped up. I am assuming that they just grew in intensity over time because I know I didn’t vocalize my pain until they had gotten reallly bad.
We told my pediatrician about it and she talked about things like dehydration, playing too hard, not getting enough sleep, taking mild pain relievers, etc. None of that helped.
I stopped taking any type of pain reliever when nothing touched the pain when I was still in middle school. My optometrist even tried to diagnose my headaches as a vision issue. He said that my eyes were straining my brain. When changing my vision prescription did not help he diaganosed me with TMJ.
We thought the constant strain of TMJ was causing at least some of the headaches for years later. Turns out, TMJ is a symptom of a tongue tie. Go figure. By the time I started seeing a chiropractor for my headaches I was also having intense neck pain. Getting adjusted would relieve my pain for about 30 minutes to an hour and then it would be back.
Related: 20 Tips For Choosing Your Pediatrician
I gave up.
I would just suffer for the rest of my life. I. Was. Not. Fixable.
As far as we knew, my mouth was not the cause of my pain. 3 weeks before my revision I was sitting in a class for my local midwives association where an IBCLC educated in tongue and lip ties educated us on how to diagnose one. She gave us a list of common symptoms for babies. Most of what she said I already knew so I tuned out a little until she started talking about adults.
She started naming off the signs and symptoms that adults with ties typically have. As she did, I started checking them all off. Yes, I have that one and that one and that one too! I asked for a recommendation and called Dr. Thomas on the way home. Her office staff took my information and Dr. Thomas called me herself the very next day.
We set the appointment and I researched tongue ties even more before going to see her.
Why are tongue ties under diagnosed in adults?
MOST PEDIATRICIANS AND DOCTORS HAVE NO CLUE WHAT A TONGUE TIE IS AND WILL TELL YOU THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE ONE WHEN YOU DO!
In fact, tongue ties were not talked about much until recently. It is a growing field with many more providers becoming aware including myself. Go ahead and ask your PCP or pediatrician if you or your child have a tongue tie but do not take their word for it if they are not a preferred provider. Always seek out a second opinion by a person who specializes in tongue ties.
My amazing dentist, Dr. Thomas is one of the best! She is a preferred provider in Texas.
The IBCLC who enlightened me on adult tongue ties is Mellanie at For Babies Sake in NRH.
Read “My Adult Tongue Tie Revision Pt. 2” to hear about the day of the revision coming next week!
