Tethered Oral Tissues & Your Child’s Functional Wellness

We take a whole-child approach to oral health—because a child’s mouth is the gateway to their overall growth, airway health, and brain development. One of the most commonly overlooked issues we see in infants and children is Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs). TOTs refer to restrictive bands of tissue—such as tongue-tie (ankyloglossia), lip-tie, or buccal ties—that limit the normal movement of the tongue, lips, or cheeks.

How Do TOTs Affect Your Child?

TOTs can interfere with breathing, feeding, sleeping, and speech development. When left untreated, they may contribute to:

Shallow breastfeeding or bottle feeding
Noisy breathing or mouth breathing
Poor sleep quality or snoring
Delayed speech or articulation issues
Tongue thrust, open bite, or poor jaw development
Digestive discomfort from excessive air swallowing

When the tongue is tethered, it cannot rest properly against the palate, which affects how the jaws develop and how wide and healthy the airway becomes. Treatment may include frenectomy (release of the tight tissue), especially when function is clearly impaired.

Why a Team Approach Matters

TOTs don’t exist in isolation. That’s why we work with a collaborative team to ensure long-term success:

IBCLCs (Lactation Consultants) to support optimal breastfeeding
Speech-language pathologists and myofunctional therapists to guide oral muscle development
Bodyworkers (chiropractors, craniosacral therapists) to help release tension patterns
ENTs and sleep specialists, when airway obstruction is involved

This team-based model allows your child to thrive functionally—not just structurally—and ensures their treatment plan supports the nervous system, muscular coordination, and airway development.