Adult tongue ๐ tie
Does a tongue tie stretch? Nope, sadly this doesnโt happen. I have had a tongue tie all my life, though this is a new discovery for me, and my daughters have as well (know about theirs for maybe 18 months now). Tongue tie releases are pretty fast and recovery is short for babies. I know, I usually see my clients before a frenectomy to start pre work and decide on optimal timing of release and post frenectomy to continue the work. With babies this frequently means chiropractic or craniosacral therapy (bodywork) and lactation therapy (with an IBCLC trained in oral rehabilitation for TOTs). For teens and adults itโs a bit different, and takes longer.
Myofunctional therapy is like tongue physical therapy. Therapists teach you how to do tongue movements that you didnโt know where possible! I was always told that making a taco with your tongue was genetic. Not true! I am working on it now, tho my โtacoโ is still sadly flat or ends up more bowl like and isnโt quite there yet. A Myofunctional therapist is a very important part to getting your tongue and mouth ready for release, and learning how to move everything post release. My kids and I have been doing therapy for a few weeks, and at first my cheeks and tongue were sore and tired each week! But it has gotten better and even I can see the progress.
Bodywork for teens and adults is a bit different too. There are different modalities, some like working with an Osteopath, others prefer Myofascial release therapy. These therapies can help release tension just like CST and Chiropractic , except when you are a teen or adult with tongue tie you have a LOT more tension than a baby that needs to be released. Years, and in my case, decades of compensations instead of competency. My body has found a way, but that way came at high costs.
The biggest thing to know is that if your baby is tongue tied, they will remain tongue tied until it is adequately released. It wonโt stretch, grow, spontaneously release or any other crazy nonsense. More on being a tongue tied adult to comeโฆ