Why Follow-Up Matters After a Tongue Tie Release
Charlie’s Experience
This photo shows my son before and after his frenectomy at age 10 — and yes, I know it might make some of you squirm. I promise there’s a reason I’m sharing it.
I had known for years that he had a posterior tongue restriction. As a baby and young child, he was functional. Feeding wasn’t impacted, speech developed, and nothing felt urgent. Because of that, we chose to watch, support, and wait — and that was the right decision at the time.
As he got older, though, we started noticing more. He complained often that his jaw and shoulders hurt. Tension seemed to live in his body. I worked on him using oromyofacial therapy and craniosacral work, and while both were supportive, they weren’t enough on their own. Eventually, he decided he wanted to move forward with the procedure.
I won’t pretend it was fun — it wasn’t. But he was an absolute trooper. He committed to the exercises, stayed engaged in the follow-up, and began noticing changes himself. A few weeks ago, we talked about it again, and he told me he was really glad he did it. One thing that stood out to him was how much easier it felt to make his “r” sound.
I share this because timing matters. I’m glad we waited until he was older, because his function wasn’t impacted when he was younger. But that isn’t the case for every baby or every child — and there is no single “right” timeline.
This is why I believe so strongly in looking at the whole picture: anatomy, function, the body, the child, and the family — over time.
One of the most important — and often missed — parts of the tongue tie conversation is what happens after a release.
A common assumption is that once the tissue is released, feeding or speech will automatically improve. While a release can change the structure, it does not teach the body how to use that new range of motion.
Babies and children don’t instinctively “know” how to move their tongue differently just because it now can. Like any part of the body, the tongue needs time, guidance, and practice to learn new patterns.
This is where follow-up care becomes essential.
Structure Changes, Skills Take Time
Before a release, many babies and children adapt to restrictions by developing compensations. These might include using the jaw instead of the tongue, tightening the lips or cheeks, arching the body, or recruiting neck and shoulder muscles to help with feeding.
After a release, those patterns don’t disappear overnight. Without support, the body often continues to rely on what it already knows — even when new movement is available.
Follow-up care helps the nervous system recognize and integrate these new possibilities so function can actually improve.
What Follow-Up Looks Like for a Baby
For infants, follow-up is less about “exercises” and more about supporting coordinated, efficient feeding and regulation.
This may include:
Supporting tongue elevation, cupping, and coordination during feeding
Helping baby reduce jaw or lip compensation
Addressing body tension in the neck, shoulders, or trunk
Improving latch comfort and milk transfer
Supporting regulation and ease before, during, and after feeds
Sometimes this includes gentle oral motor support, positioning changes, body-based work, and collaboration with lactation or feeding specialists.
The goal is not perfection — it’s helping feeding feel easier, more efficient, and more comfortable for both baby and parent.
What Follow-Up Looks Like for a Child
For older infants and children, follow-up often focuses on skill development and coordination.
This may involve:
Teaching the tongue how to move independently from the jaw
Supporting chewing, swallowing, and oral rest posture
Addressing speech sound production when relevant
Reducing compensatory tension in the face, neck, and body
Supporting nasal breathing and airway function
Children have had more time to build habits, so follow-up often looks more active and intentional. Progress happens gradually as new patterns replace old ones.
Why a Team Approach Matters
No single provider can address every piece of this process.
That’s why thoughtful follow-up often involves a team, which may include:
Skilled, pediatric speech-language therapists familiar with lingual releases
IBCLC
Body-based providers (Osteopathy, CST, Chiropractor)
ENTs or pediatric dentists
Each provider brings a different lens, and together they help ensure that changes made structurally are supported functionally — across feeding, speech, sleep, and regulation.
Collaboration prevents families from feeling like they’re navigating this alone.
Keeping Long-Term Goals in Mind
The purpose of follow-up care is not just short-term improvement.
Long-term goals often include:
Efficient, comfortable feeding
Clear and coordinated speech
Balanced oral rest posture
Reduced compensation and tension
Support for airway and sleep health
A child who can use their body with ease
A release can be one step along that path — but it’s rarely the only step.
A Gentle Reframe for Parents
If your baby or child has had a release and things didn’t instantly improve, that does not mean it “didn’t work” or that something was done wrong.
More often, it means the body needs support to learn something new.
Follow-up care is not an extra — it’s part of honoring the whole picture.
And when families are supported by a thoughtful, collaborative team with clear long-term goals, outcomes tend to be more meaningful, more lasting, and more aligned with what parents are truly hoping for. Please reach out if you have questions, concerns, or would like to discuss your options with a trained professional.