Posterior Tongue Ties: Should you be afraid?
Welcome to our first ever blog post! We decided to start with something verrrrry scary- Posterior Tongue Ties!!! *SCREAM*.
Just kidding! Many people- patients and even some providers- feel uncomfortable and even afraid of Posterior Tongue Ties and getting a posterior tongue tie release- but there's nothing to be afraid of!
So what exactly is a "posterior" tongue tie? A posterior tie is just a sub-classification of a tongue tie diagnosis. A posterior tongue tie is not inherently anything new or worse than any other classifications of tongue tie. A posterior tongue tie affects the function, movement, and freedom of just back third or so of the tongue (hence the word ‘posterior’!).
Usually, posterior tongue ties are not as easily seen just by looking at the tongue, therefore having a FUNCTIONAL assessment and diagnosis from an experienced provider is especially important with posterior tongue ties. While there are some release providers who can feel uncomfortable performing posterior tongue tie releases- there are many providers who are experienced experts, and who understand just how impactful a posterior tongue tie can be to their patients.
Common symptoms specific to posterior tongue ties can be: chronic shoulder tension, chronic lower back pain, hip pain, difficulty inhaling deeply/easily, difficulty exhaling totally/easily, chronic headaches, chronic migraines, TMJ pain, sleep issues, snoring, difficulty swallowing (sometimes just certain kinds of foods), and more.
If you suspect that you could have a posterior tongue tie, I recommend you speak with an experienced provider; my personal suggestion would be a qualified Myofuctional Therapist/orofacial myologist and/or an airway-focused dentist- as these are two groups of professionals who see and/or treat tongue tie most frequently.
To take a quick self-assessment of tongue mobility, check out this video:
https://youtu.be/JfW2RwIgIoU
For a video visual description of posterior tongue ties, check out my video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U98fYfUpsg