MyoGrow Frequently Asked Questions
- If we need to release tethered oral tissue – We may also suggest releasing tethered oral tissues, or some combination of these treatment options, depending on the individual needs of your child. Our goal is to provide a personalized treatment plan that addresses all of their unique concerns and promotes optimal growth and development.
- If we need to expand the jaws – One treatment option we may recommend is expansion of the jaws, which can be effective in addressing issues related to breathing and sleeping, as well as promoting proper craniofacial growth.
- Who we need to collaborate with – We collaborate with a range of specialists, including ENTs, myofunctional therapists, orthodontists, oral surgeons, sleep physicians, allergists, and more, to ensure that your child receives comprehensive care tailored to their specific needs.
It is worth noting that a patient’s symptoms may be caused by an issue other than tongue tie, or a patient may not be a candidate for a release at the time of evaluation. Our detailed analysis helps determine which specialists a patient should be referred to, which procedures are indicated, and in what order. We understand that our approach may not be suitable for all families, as some may prefer a more targeted approach. However, our aim is to provide our patients with a thorough evaluation and comprehensive treatment plan to achieve optimal outcomes.
- Upper and Lower Jaw Expansion – Our approach involves expanding both jaws. Although the lower jaw lacks a suture that can actually widen the jaw, we can achieve a more accurate depiction of the relationship between the upper and lower jaws by uprighting (or decompensating) teeth. This helps to center the teeth over the bone, without any tipping or tilting that may otherwise mask the true bite.
- Comprehensive Diagnostics – We prioritize the use of tongue space and a patient’s symptoms/sleep quality as key indicators for guiding our treatment approach, as opposed to solely relying on measurements and bite relationship.
- Early Intervention – Orthodontic treatment can provide a multitude of health benefits, particularly in improving breathing and sleep quality. We believe that it is crucial for children to experience these benefits at an early age when their growth potential is at its highest. While some providers may prefer to wait until a child is at least 7 years old before commencing treatment, our approach is to begin treatment as soon as possible when symptoms are identified.
For infants, we perform frenectomies in conjunction with a team of functional providers that may include lactation consultants, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists.
In older children and adults, we typically recommend completing myofunctional therapy prior to a release of a “tongue tie” via functional frenuloplasty. This step may be preceded by expansion, depending on the age and stage of growth, to ensure there is adequate room for the tongue in the mouth after the release.
We hope this is helpful when deciding where to go for your care, and we thank you for considering our team.
Should you wish to schedule an appointment, please contact info@myogrowairwaycenter.com
Thank you for your interest, we hope to see you soon.
Infant Frenectomy Frequently Asked Questions
It is estimated to be between 5-10%
The tongue is a unique structure that falls in the scope of practice of both Ear Nose and Throat doctors as well as dentists. Both are licensed to treat tethered oral tissues, but more important is their post-graduate training. Tethered oral tissue diagnosis and treatment is not taught in medical or dental school, so providers must seek additional training to be knowledgeable in this area.
Those performing the procedure are knowledgeable about the anatomy. How babies feed and use their tongue involves specialties like Speech Pathologists, Lactation Consultants, and Occupational Therapists. Both are important in achieving best results.
We utilize state of the art CO2 light scalpel laser technology.
We evaluate lips, tongue, and cheeks (buccal) to screen for any possible restricted areas
Weight gain is not the only indication of healthy functional feeding. Mothers and babies may be
compensating in order to find a way to eat, but those compensations may have consequences
later as we reach milestones of speech and eating solid foods.
Healthy tongue function and mobility is important for many reasons other than breastfeeding,
including proper swallow, draining of eustachian tubes, eating solid foods, and speech.
Unfortunately, there are no guarantees with this work. Tongue ties are complex and how babies
respond can vary. It is important to understand this is a frenectomy meant to help support infant
feeding and get babies off to a good start. Other interventions are still likely indicated in the
future for full jaw and airway development. We encourage those wanting to learn more to go to
our “Myogrow” page. A frenectomy is not the same as a frenuloplasty, which may still be
indicated later in life.
Healthy tongue function is important for breathing, sleeping, feeding, and speaking. This has
implications for both craniofacial development as well as quality of life. The pressure of the
tongue on the roof of the mouth during swallowing is what forms the upper jaw. The roof of the
mouth is the floor of the nose, and the position of the jaws dictates how much space we will
have in our airway to breathe. We consider this a fundamental and critical aspect of overall
health
Our role in this process is limited to improving range of motion by addressing the anatomical
structures that may be restricting movement. Functional providers, like a lactation consultants,
help identify the symptoms that indicate a primary reason for release, offer non-surgical
methods first, and are available post release to help babies learn to use the increased range of
motion achieved by a release.
We require a functional need to be present as the primary reason for a release, and to know
that non-surgical methods have been attempted first. This eliminates performing unnecessary
procedures and ensures that a release is truly indicated.
A lactation consultant, occupational therapist, or speech pathologist. Within those specialties,
we exclusively work with providers who have further education on tethered oral tissues.
This can be frustrating and confusing for families when they get conflicting advice regarding
tethered oral tissues. When weighing recommendations, we suggest families also consider what
training and experience providers have. With hundreds of hours of post-graduate education on
this topic, Dr. Shannon and her team have positioned themselves as local experts in this specific area. Our goal is that our work helps educate other professionals about the importance of healthy tongue function so that messaging to families can be more consistent.
The baby will be gently and expertly secured and all safety precautions taken. Two team
members are present in addition to the doctor to ensure the baby’s safety.
We recommend families not be present in the room for the release. This is to help promote
mothers’ readiness to feed afterwards, as well as making sure our team is comfortable taking
the time they need to do the procedure completely and effectively.
We do not to use any numbing gel. This is because we do not want the baby to swallow the
anesthetic, and we want tongue mobility intact so the baby can feed afterwards.
Babies are able to soothe afterwards, so we compare the pain level to circumcision and
vaccination. We recommend Tylenol afterwards for baby’s comfort.
You will be stretching the release site several times a day to promote proper healing. These
stretches guide the healing in the right direction and are done instead of stitches. Babies are
initially fussy but recover quickly after the procedure. We advise families on pain control
methods for the first 1-2 days. We recommend families practice stretches before the
appointment to prepare.
Feeding issues are complex, and we encourage families to find a functional provider they trust
to help navigate the feeding process. A release can help when it is indicated, but it does not
help with every issue every time. It is important to manage expectations and understand there are many factors to consider. However, when we carefully select who is a good candidate and prepare patients well, most families see improvement. We are happy to recommend functional providers trained in tethered oral tissues.
Absolutely. If your provider is not familiar with how to diagnose and manage tethered oral
tissues, we are happy to help make recommendations. Our process involves close comanagement of patients with providers with specific training.
We are happy to have a consultation-only appointment or perform same day treatment.
Depending on the situation, we may make additional referrals before a release.
Our detailed process is meant to help promote best outcomes. By working with a team, we find
families get better results and prevent negative outcomes. We understand this approach may
not be the right fit for all families, and that the logistics of managing multiple appointments can
be difficult. We are here to support families as much as we can.
Folic acid supplementation as it relates to ankyloglossia
Lip ties
Breastfeeding difficulties and tongue ties
Role of therapy and frenectomy in infant feeding
Management of tongue ties with therapy and frenotomy
Multidisciplinary management of ankyloglossia in childhood
