<unk>  can affect eating, especially breastfeeding, and oral hygiene as well as have mechanical/social effects.<unk>  can also prevent the tongue from contacting the anterior palate. This can then promote an infantile swallow and hamper the progression to an adult-like swallow which can result in an open bite deformity. It can also result in mandibular prognathism; this happens when the tongue contacts the anterior portion of the mandible with exaggerated anterior thrusts. Opinion varies regarding how frequently<unk>  truly causes problems. Some professionals believe it is rarely symptomatic, whereas others believe it is associated with a variety of problems. The disagreement among professionals was documented in a study by Messner and Lalakea (2000). Feeding Messner et al. studied<unk>  and infant feeding. Thirty-six infants with<unk>  were compared to a control group without<unk> . The two groups were followed for six months to assess possible breastfeeding difficulties; defined as nipple pain lasting more than six weeks, or infant difficulty latching onto or staying onto the mother’s breast. Twenty-five percent of mothers of infants with<unk>  reported breastfeeding difficulty compared with only 3% of the mothers in the control group. The study concluded that<unk>  can adversely affect breastfeeding in certain infants. Infants with<unk>  do not, however, have such big difficulties when feeding from a bottle. Limitations of this study include the small sample size and the fact that the quality of the mother’s breastfeeding was not assessed. Wallace and Clark also studied breastfeeding difficulties in infants with<unk> . They followed 10 infants with<unk>  who underwent surgical tongue-tie division. Eight of the ten mothers experienced poor infant latching onto the breast, 6/10 experienced sore nipples and 5/10 experienced continual feeding cycles; 3/10 mothers were exclusively breastfeeding. Following a tongue-tie division, 4/10 mothers noted immediate improvements in breastfeeding, 3/10 mothers did not notice any improvements and 6/10 mothers continued breastfeeding for at least four months after the surgery. The study concluded that tongue-tie division may be a possible benefit for infants experiencing breastfeeding difficulties due to<unk>  and further investigation is warranted. The limitations of this study include the small sample size and the fact that there was not a control group. In addition, the conclusions were based on subjective parent report as opposed to objective measures. Speech Several recent systematic reviews and randomized control trials have determined that<unk>  does not impact speech sound development and that there is no difference in speech sound development between children who received surgery to release tongue-tie and those who did not. Mechanical and social effects<unk>  can result in mechanical and social effects. Lalakea and Messner studied 15 people, aged 14 to 68 years old. The subjects were given questionnaires in order to assess functional complaints associated with<unk> . Eight subjects noted one or more mechanical limitations which included cuts or discomfort underneath the tongue and difficulties with kissing, licking one’s lips, eating an ice cream cone, keeping one’s tongue clean and performing tongue tricks. In addition, seven subjects noted social effects such as embarrassment and teasing. The authors concluded that this study confirmed anecdotal evidence of mechanical problems associated with<unk>  and it suggests that the kinds of mechanical and social problems noted may be more prevalent than previously thought. Furthermore, the authors note that some patients may be unaware of the extent of the limitations they have due to<unk> , since they have never experienced a normal tongue range of motion. A limitation of this study is the small sample size that also represented a large age range. Lalakea and Messner note that mechanical and social effects may occur even without other problems related to<unk> , such as speech and feeding difficulties. Also, mechanical and social effects may not arise until later in childhood, as younger children may be unable to recognize or report the effects. In addition, some problems, such as kissing, may not come about until later in life. Tongue posture and mouth breathing<unk>  most often prohibits the tongue from resting in its ideal posture, at the roof of the mouth. When the tongue rests at the roof of the mouth, it enables nasal breathing. A seemingly unrelated consequence of<unk>  is chronic mouth breathing. Mouth breathing is correlated with other health issues such as enlarged tonsils and adenoids, chronic ear infections, and sleep-disordered breathing. Dental issues<unk>  is correlated to grinding teeth (bruxism) and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain. When the tongue normally rests at the roof of the mouth, it leads to the development of an ideal "U"-shaped palate.<unk>  often causes a narrow, "V"-shaped palate to develop, which crowds teeth and increases the potential need for braces and possibly jaw surgery. Fascia and Muscle Compensation The lingual frenulum under the tongue is part of the body's larger fascia network. When the tongue is restricted by an overly tight frenulum, the tightness can travel to other nearby parts of the body such as the neck causing muscle tightness and poor posture. The tongue being restricted can force other muscles in the neck and jaw to compensate causing muscle soreness.
Ankyloglossia
Hypoglossia
Prelingual deafness
Crenated tongue
Macroglossia
Strabismus
Pseudostrabismus
Hallucinatory palinopsia