“The too-short tongue tie is stretchy and will fuse, so let’s wait.” You often hear this sentence and unfortunately it does not become any truer. Since the Martinelli/Marchesan* study of 2014, we know that tongue ties are largely composed of type 1 collagen. Collagen type 1 is 3% extensible. This means that with an estimated tongue tie length of 1 cm, a stretch of 0.3 mm is possible and often these tongue ties are then only 0.5 cm or shorter. Why then do some “experts” claim that the short lingual frenulum can be treated with stretching exercises? In fact, it is not the lingual frenulum that is stretched, but the muscles of the tongue are stretched downward and the tissues of the floor of the mouth are stretched upward. If the stretching exercises are no longer performed, the initial condition will be restored after some time. Thus, the result is not a stable permanent condition, but a labile temporary condition that can lead to compensations in the supporting muscles. Conclusion: a frenulum that is too short cannot stretch, grow out, tear when the tongue is dropped, or disappear on its own.

*2014 Martinelli, Marchesan et al – Histological Characteristics of Altered Human Lingual Frenulum Int J. Pediatrics and Child Health, 2014, 2.5-9.