The days of just looking under the tongue and immediately recommending tongue-tie surgery need to end. There are more aspects to evaluate in the process.
A newborn presented with failure to thrive, and doctors recommended tongue-tie surgery. The parents wanted to hold off and search for a different approach.
He presented with a zero-second brain cycle and fascial strain in his throat, floor of mouth, tongue, and jaw. During the first three visits of therapy, pelvic fascia was also pulling into his head and jaw. I spent the last two visits working the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) area for his reflux.
At that second visit, I felt fascial strain pulling from the LES (reflux) directly into his tongue tie—always missed in conventional evaluations. The Gillespie Approach looks for the root cause of a condition in order to minimize drug and surgical interventions.
Fascial strain from anywhere in the body can affect the tongue, floor of the mouth, cheeks, TMJs, throat, and other tissues. In this situation, fascial strain, pulling from his LES directly into his tongue tie, needed to be addressed.
Surgery must be the last step in the oral-tie process. Let’s get the infant strain-free, let the IBCLC do her magic, and then re-evaluate for surgery.
Infants with true tongue ties need frenectomy, but let’s avoid needless oral procedures. Gillespie Approach Training is a must for all newborn providers.
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