Two types of Tongue Ties??

Did you know there are two types of Tongue Ties?

Anterior and posterior

Anterior tongue ties are the more obvious of the two types. It’s easily diagnosed because your doctor can see it right away when you lift the tongue up. The underside of the tongue is connected too tightly to the floor of the mouth, and the range of motion is restricted.

Posterior tongue-ties aren’t apparent at first glance. The back part of the tongue is restricted rather than the front portion, and the restriction is totally different.

Posterior tongue-ties can be challenging to diagnose because the other muscles of the face and mouth compensate for the restriction. One clue I look at is the floor of the mouth lifting up to allow the tongue to move to the palate. People with this tie can often stick their tongue out a long way or get the front or whole tongue to rest on the top of the mouth.

However, when these muscles compensate, we see pain and tension throughout the neck, face, jaw, shoulders, and more. This can lead to clenching, grinding, TMJ problems, postural problems, as well as sleep apnea, or other sleep-disordered breathing conditions. Babies with a posterior tongue-tie may also have difficulty breastfeeding.