{"id":4014,"date":"2022-10-23T00:52:59","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T05:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chirohealthwellness.com\/?p=4014"},"modified":"2022-09-30T15:09:55","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T20:09:55","slug":"tots-tethered-oral-tissues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chirohealthwellness.com\/blog\/tots-tethered-oral-tissues\/","title":{"rendered":"TOTs: Tethered Oral Tissues"},"content":{"rendered":"

TOTs: Tethered Oral Tissues<\/h1>\n

Those of you that are new parents have likely heard the term \u201ctongue tie\u201d before as infants are often assessed for these during lactation consultations or in the hospital after birth. For everyone else, including seasoned parents, this term might be a head-scratcher for you. So let\u2019s dive into the meaning of this potentially unknown term and learn some common signs to watch for.<\/p>\n

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crying infant with tethered oral tissues<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A tongue tie is a when a band of tissue tightly connects the base of the tongue to the floor of the mouth, preventing the tongue from moving freely. Ideally, the tongue can protrude past the bottom teeth and lateralize fully to both sides but, when restricted, it cannot complete these movements. Tongue ties are part of a broader group, called TOTs or Tethered Oral Tissues, and often come along with ties in the upper and lower lip, and cheeks (called buccal ties). Ties like these are not new but the diagnosis has grown significantly in the past 10 years. The cause of TOTs is unknown but suspicions include repeated chemical exposure and genetics.<\/p>\n

Oftentimes these anomalies produce symptoms that are misdiagnosed as colic, acid reflux, and even failure to thrive\u2014all of which have treatments that will not help with the true condition itself. Babies who have one or more of these oral anomalies may show one or more of the following symptoms:<\/p>\n