Tongue tie is a medical condition that limits the tongue’s mobility and develops specific issues such as delayed speech, difficulty eating, and more. If you notice any signs of tongue tics in kids, this is your call to visit a professional. But, before that, you may look for ways to do home tongue tie tests. Aren’t you?
In this blog, we will share more about tongue tie tests for babies, tongue tie tests for adults, tongue tie signs, and more. So, continue reading this blog about conforming tongue-tie at home before contacting a professional.
Furthermore, Tongue Tie Phoenix takes pride in guiding new parents about the possibilities of such situations where they feel helpless.
With our platform, we strive to offer awareness, consultation, and the best possible solutions for tongue-tie cases in Phoenix. Book us for your next consultation, resolve the posterior or anterior tongue tie, and bring a brighter smile to your kid’s face.
Read: Beneath The Tongue: Posterior Tongue Tie Complications & Surgery
How to Test For Tongue Tie?
Testing is relatively easy for adults at home as they are mature to understand. If you are an adult and feeling difficulties while eating or speaking lately, you can perform an easy evaluation at home.
For this test, you need to stand in front of a mirror and see how wide you can open your mouth.
In the next step, place the tip of your tongue on the back of your upper front and see your teeth. Also, notice what happens to your lower jaw. Do you find yourself shutting your mouth?
Are your neck and jaw muscles straining on the movement? Do you also feel some other signs and symptoms along with it? If so, this is the time to rush a tongue-tie specialist to let them evaluate your situation.
Tongue-tie adults are prone to assess their situation much more quickly than babies due to fast-track research and the fact that answers to their questions are available online.
However, consulting a professional will lead you on the right track to treat your tongue tie easily.
Read: What is Tongue Tie Reattachment? Causes and Cure
6 Steps for Tongue Tie Assessment
A tongue tie assessment is needed to understand your tongue’s situation. It only works if the length of the tongue in and out is considered only. Because the assessment also covers all of mobility.
TRMR scale (Tongue Range of Motion Ratio), developed by Dr. Soroush Zaghi, is now used globally to assess tongue mobility.
Here we share the significant steps of tongue tie assessment:
Such an assessment helps check the condition of tongue ties and determine how to fix it naturally or through surgery.
Read: What Is the Best Age for Tongue-Tie Surgery in Infants?
Signs of Tongue Tie:
Apart from the initial testing and assessment, one must look deep into the potential signs and symptoms of tongue tie.
The symptoms can manifest in several aspects of daily life and help diagnose. Here are the signs that one must look forward to in everyday situations:
1: Speech difficulties
Are you struggling with specific alphabet sounds such as ‘r,’ ‘l,’ ‘t,’ ‘d’, ‘n,’ and ‘th’? Do you need help pronouncing these alphabets, or can you not produce the exact sounds?
In addition, are you feeling insecure about the slurred speech or having a sore jaw after extended talking sessions?
2: Eating challenges
Do you have any difficulty chewing efficiently? Or are you struggling to swallow the larger bites or pills? Have your eating span increased and hunger reduced?
3: Dental or oral health issues
Do you find it difficult to clean all your teeth? Is it challenging to reach out to the back teeth when brushing or flossing due to limited tongue movement? Look out for these signs in your daily routine.
4: Mouth breathing
Are you struggling with lousy breathing or mouth breathing during sleep? Insufficient oral hygiene due to a restricted tongue can lead to impaired breathing.
5: Limited activities
Have you noticed limited activities in your kid’s playing time, or does your kid need help playing with wind instruments or singing?
Playing activities that require precise tongue movement also makes it challenging for the kid to continue.
You can understand the situation once you look out for these signs and symptoms of tongue tie and perform the testing at home.
Further, a professional can assess and diagnose properly using the proper techniques and modern technologies.
Diagnosis and Evaluation of Tongue Tie
Diagnosing tongue tie in adults is a multifaceted process involving several tests and examinations using imaging techniques.
Here is the breakdown of the diagnostic approach:
1- Physical Examination:
The first step in tongue tie testing in kids and adults is to visually inspect the mouth and tongue—the professional looks for indications such as a short frenulum.
2- Palpation:
The next step is to palpate the area under the tongue and assess the frenulum’s structure and its association with the restriction of tongue movements.
3- Range of motion assessment:
As mentioned above, a tongue-tie specialist performs the TRMR scale to evaluate mobility.
4- Speech assessment:
Then comes the speech assessment, which is done well by speech pathologists who conduct several specific tests to evaluate the tongue tie impacts.
5- Imaging techniques:
Then comes the use of imaging techniques for tongue evaluation. These include the ultrasound or MRI in some cases.
6- Dental assessment:
Last but not least, a dental assessment of the tongue tie patients is needed to notice the impact of tongue tie on oral and dental health.
7- ENT assessment:
In some cases, ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) assessment checks the tongue tie and its impacts on breathing and swallowing.
In addition, for babies, lactation specialists are also considered who look into the latching process and then refer to oral surgeons and maxillofacial surgeons for a detailed diagnosis.
Take away:
To summarize, tongue tie testing is performed on babies and adults to evaluate all the signs carefully and look deeper into its side effects in speech, breath problems, and eating difficulties.
So, if you notice any such sign in your babies, you must bring them to Tongue Tie Phoenix, and we will be more than happy to treat such an issue.
FAQs
How to examine a tongue-tie?
To examine tongue ties at home, check out the shape of your tongue, look for the ratio of tongue movement and possible impacts such as muscle strain, oral hygiene, and more.
How to tell if an adult has a tongue-tie?
It is easily diagnosable with a simple test that starts by lifting your tongue and trying to touch it behind your top teeth. Stand in front of the mirror and check if you can only lift about halfway; it reveals a potential tongue restriction.
What is 100% tongue-tie?
In a 100% tongue tie in adults vs. normal, the frenulum comes before the tongue. The percentage here describes how far along the underside of the tongue the frenulum comes.
