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Tongue-Tie Specialists

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Alizah Shahar, MS, CCC-
SLP/OMT/CS

Myofunctional Therapy & Speech Therapy

located in Houston, TX

Tongue ties can be mild or severe, but they affect many children and adults' eating, swallowing, breathing, and speaking. Alizah Shahar, MS, CCC-SLP/OMT, specializes in orofacial myofunctional treatment at TASL Speech Therapy Consultants. This treatment may be used to assist you or your child to avoid surgery, or therapy may be used before and after surgery to promote recovery and restore normal tongue function. Call the office located in Memorial City and Hedwig Village, Houston, Texas, or use the online booking tool today to learn more about how tongue-tie therapy might help you.

What is tongue-tie, exactly?
A thin band of tissue called the frenulum joins the tongue to the bottom of the mouth while babies develop in the uterus. Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) develops when a baby's frenulum is shorter or thicker than it should be.


Tongue-tie is a condition that prevents proper tongue mobility. The frenulum thins out in some persons over time, while it stays the same in others throughout adolescence and maturity.

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What are the symptoms of tongue-tie in adults?
Adults who have tongue ties experience the following issues:

  • Sternum that is immobile

  • Tightness at the area of the skull's base

  • A knot in the neck

  • Problems with digestion

  • Speech impediments

  • Breathing problems during sleep

  • Tightness in the jaw and mouth muscles Tightness in the tissues required for swallowing

  • TMD (temporomandibular joint dysfunction) is a condition that affects the joints in the (TMJ)

  • Tongue-tie might also make it difficult for them to sing.

 

.What symptoms do children experience as a result of tongue-tie?

Tongue-tie causes issues such as:

  • Breastfeeding is difficult.

  • Continual hunger

  • Weight gain is gradual.

  • Disabilities in communication

  • Having trouble swallowing

  • Eating and nutrition difficulties that have existed for a long time

  • There isn't much tongue movement.

  • Sticking your tongue out issues

  • To pronounce some letters correctly, the tongue must touch the roof of the mouth. As a result, tongue-tie may pose difficulties for children as they learn to speak.

 

What is the treatment for tongue-tie?
The only therapy for tongue-tie is a frenotomy, which involves cutting the frenulum. Orofacial myofunctional treatment, depending on the degree of your tongue knot, may be able to enhance your tongue function sufficiently to prevent surgery. If surgery is still necessary, treatment before and after surgery will help you recover more quickly.


The limited tongue movement induced by tongue-tie has an impact on the development and function of the tongue's muscles. Furthermore, tissues can regenerate excessively tightly following a frenotomy. As a result, you'll have to stretch the tissues physically for several weeks.

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Consider orofacial myofunctional therapy to be tongue and mouth physical therapy. Ms. Shahar retrains your tongue with particular exercises. Therapy helps your tongue adapt to new movements before surgery. This treatment hastens the healing process and puts you on the road to regaining natural function.Therapy facilitates optimal healing and retrains and strengthens the tongue muscles after surgery. These exercises help to restore regular breathing, chewing, and swallowing movements.


Contact TASL Speech Therapy Consultants before your operation to learn how orofacial myofunctional therapy can help you if you have tongue-tie. Today, give us a call or schedule an appointment online.

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