You may have encountered unexplained health issues such as persistent snoring, dental problems, or chronic Jaw or neck pain. These conditions may be tongue tie symptoms adults.
These symptoms are often the red flag that leads to the root cause, tongue tie, or ankyloglossia, which often goes undiagnosed in children. Oral ties are present at birth. If you have made it to adulthood with your oral ties, or tethered oral tissues TOTs, intact then it’s time to address them!
Recognizing tongue-tied symptoms in adults is crucial for addressing these health concerns and improving your overall well-being.
What Is Tongue Tie?
Tongue tie is a condition where the lingual frenulum—the tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth—is unusually short or tight, restricting tongue movement. While commonly identified in infants, many adults remain unaware of their tongue ties, leading to various health issues as they age.
Check out our home self-assessment for adults to determine if you have a tongue tie: https://lynntiedtogetherhub-term-36399.myflodesk.com/a6tp9h2dau
A tongue tie can occur alone or in combination with a lip and/or cheek tie.
Often referred to as a frenulum or frena, it is a fibro-mucosal fold of tissue that helps to connect bone to soft tissue, and it will either support or limit the movement of the muscles around it.
There are two main types of tongue ties: anterior and posterior. An anterior tie holds the very tip of the tongue down. This is easy to see and identify in infants and will typically be surgically released in infancy.
The second type is a posterior tongue tie, which you are more likely to have traveled through life with! It is harder to identify when you are young and often go undetected visually.
The posterior tie anchors the mid to back of the tongue down to the floor. This prevents ease of movement for speech, feeding, and breathing tasks.
Our tongue should naturally rest on the roof of the mouth, the palate. You may be tied if your tongue rests lower in the mouth or by the bottom teeth. What symptoms might you have related to this low resting tongue?
Let’s explore some!
6 Common Tongue Tie Symptoms Adults
Dental Problems
Increased risk of cavities, gum disease, or misaligned teeth due to improper tongue positioning are dental signs of tongue tie symptoms adults.
A major reason tongue ties go undiagnosed is due to the prevailing thinking that it’s a rite of passage to get braces! Palate expanders and braces have become commonplace and there’s no real examination of why one’s teeth are misaligned.
If a dentist/orthodontist isn’t specially trained in identifying tongue ties, they will not alert you and will proceed with placing appliances in your mouth. All for you to have to wear a retainer for the rest of your life to maintain the new alignment.
The tongue plays a major role in how your teeth align. Intra-oral pressure is a needed force for oral function and movement. This pressure is created when the tongue is sucked up into the palate at rest.
The lips will be sealed and the cheeks slightly toned in. Creating a mold between the tongue, lips, and cheeks for the teeth to grow and align within.
If you’re an adult considering braces or have had braces more than once, ask yourself, why do my teeth keep moving out of alignment?
The answer may well be tethered-oral-tissues that one, pull and strain on tooth alignment, and two, their presence creates disharmony in the muscles reducing intra-oral pressure and sealing.
This is what we would refer to as a structural impairment. The oral structures, teeth, jaw, and bone are affected by the tongue tie. Sometimes all one experiences is structural issues but there are also functional issues that can occur.
Next, let’s look at some functional impairments as signs of tongue tie symptoms in adults.
Speech Difficulties
Challenges in articulating certain sounds, a lisp, or even speaking fatigue are all signs of tongue tie symptoms adults. As a child, you may have been in speech therapy to address articulation issues. Remember you’ve had these ties since birth, they’ve impacted function throughout your life.
As an adult, you may feel self-conscious when speaking for a longer duration. It may begin to feel tight or fatigued throughout the oral facial muscles. This can create slurring in speech.
The tongue has quick alternating movements to create the flow of a sentence. When the posterior tongue is limited in range of motion a compensation is created to approximate the skill.
This compensation may not be discernible to the listener, but as the speaker you feel the tension and tightness with every word! This may even create anxiety over speaking engagements in work or social settings.
Eating and Swallowing Issues
Difficulty chewing or swallowing food, which may result in avoiding specific foods or experiencing digestive problems can be tongue-tied symptoms in adults.
Just as with speech, feeding and swallowing require quick alternating patterns and movements of the tongue. From tongue bowl shapes to capture the food, lateralization left-right, elevation to the palate, and propulsion backward to the throat to initiate the swallow.
When the posterior portion is tied it does not adequately dip to form a tongue bowl which can keep food dispersed over the oral cavity and not cohesive. Limited range to move left-right can allow food to pocket in the cheeks.
The tongue would not be able to fully elevate for swallow initiation and would have a limited range to propel food into the throat.
These limited movements cause trapping of air, that air can be swallowed leading to an increase in gas, bloating, and burping.
Also, poorly chewed food is harder to break down in the stomach and can cause reflux or heartburn symptoms.
It may seem odd to say but needing antacids regularly may indeed be a tongue-tie symptom adults shouldn’t ignore.
Chronic Pain
Jaw pain, neck tension, or headaches resulting from compensatory muscle use during speech and feeding tasks are common tongue-tie symptoms in adults.
When muscles are not supported but rather hindered in movement by a tongue tie, the jaw being the larger base of support kicks in to help.
This may lead the jaw to jut forward, or slide/glide left to right, in an attempt to get the tongue where it needs to be.
Excess movement in the jaw will impact the joint and increase TMJ discomfort. This can lead to forward head positions. A forward position will strain the neck as it tries to hold the head back.
Jaw and neck tension will often lead to headaches. Tension headaches are common in adults with oral ties.
As those restrictions travel down the body we see difficulties with the pelvic floor. Women may experience difficult labor, or issues following birth. The pelvic floor is part of the continuum of the fascia system and can be pulled out of alignment.
When one experiences difficulties with the pelvis they consult with a physical therapist. It would be rare for a PT to connect it to the oral structures and identify a tongue tie.
But if you’ve experienced recurring pelvic issues that improve while in treatment but then regress when treatment ends, you may have a force of influence from tethered oral tissues.
Could all this muscle tension and strain impact sleep? Yes, it can!
Next, we look at how tongue ties can impact sleep in an adult.
Sleep Disturbance
Snoring or sleep apnea is caused by the tongue obstructing the airway during sleep. The tongue should be resting up in the palate to ensure the airway stays open and air can easily flow through the nose.
A tongue that is tied rests low in the mouth allowing it to slide back and block the airway during sleep.
The pressure the tongue creates in the nasal passages allows them to flow openly and evenly for nasal breathing when the tongue is in the palate. When the tongue rests low in the mouth the mouth will tend to grade itself open, reducing healthy nasal breathing.
Mouth breathing is unhealthy and can lead to an increase in dental issues, chapped lips, and asthma.
Poor sleep due to snoring, sleep apnea, or simple mouth breathing leads to daytime drowsiness and moodiness. Focus on work tasks can seem impossible in the late afternoon hours when one has been dealing with poor sleep.
With sleep’s direct impact on mood, can symptoms of tongue tie be emotional issues or anxiety? Yes, it can, so let’s check that out as our 6th sign of tongue tie in adults.
Emotional/Anxiety
Surprisingly adults began to report reductions in feelings of anxiety when they had their tongue surgically released. The analogy of lowering a dimmer switch on the nervous system has been used to describe the feeling.
Why would this occur?
First, consider that the tongue resting in the palate provides the body with a sense of self in space, it is anchored. Feeling unanchored when the tongue cannot rest in the palate may lead to increased feelings of anxiety.
Second, the fascia system is at play when we discuss oral ties. Fascia is a thin layer of connective tissue that surrounds and supports muscles, organs, blood vessels, and nerves throughout the body.
Think of it as a web-like network that holds everything together, providing both structure and flexibility. Fascia has three primary layers—superficial, deep, and visceral—each with different roles.
When there is a hiccup in this system, due to an oral tie such as a tongue tie, the nervous system can get out of balance increasing feelings of anxiety.
Add to this lack of sleep, and you have an individual who is not operating at optimal levels of well-being.
The Hidden Impact of Tongue Tie on Overall Health
When we look at these common symptoms it is easy to see that the impact of tongue tie goes beyond the oral cavity. Tongue tie symptoms for adults are varied, your symptoms may be completely different from another’s symptoms.
Some are subtle and others more pronounced.
Accepting that you just can’t swallow vitamins so you choose liquid vitamins could be a subtle sign of a tie. Joking that no matter how in shape you are, you can’t ever seem to bend and touch your toes, could be another subtle sign.
Whereas sleep apnea and using a CPAP machine is a more pronounced area of concern and can be a direct result of tongue tie in adults.
Pain, don’t accept that aging is the culprit, and jaw, neck, or back pain is simply a complication of aging. You should not be living in pain.
Uncovering that oral ties may be connected to symptoms that never seem to improve can be an important first step to improving your overall health.
Recognizing Tongue Tie Symptoms Adults
Likely you were surprised to learn how oral ties such as tongue ties can impact so many varied areas throughout the mouth and body.
Recognizing how it’s all tied together can often be motivating, but where to start? If you identify with some or all these symptoms, consider the following actions:
Taking the Next Steps
Consult a Specialist: Seek evaluation from a healthcare provider experienced in orofacial myofunctional disorders. This website has providers listed by state and can be a starting point for finding a knowledgeable provider. https://www.tonguetielife.com/
Explore Treatment Options: Discuss potential therapies or surgical interventions to address the tongue tie with more than one provider and find the right match for you.
Join Support Communities: Connecting with others on similar journeys can provide valuable insights and encouragement.
Follow the link for our guide: Freedom to Thrive: A Complete Guide to Addressing Tongue and Lip Tie in Adults. It will be delivered directly to your email inbox.
Embarking on this path of self-discovery is a significant step toward enhancing your oral and overall health. By addressing your tongue tie, you can improve your overall quality of life and well-being.
For more information on tethered oral tissues please visit our other blogs on the topic.