By Angie Lehman, RDH, COM (with Lori Cockley, DDS, FAGD) — originally published in the Journal of the American Orthodontic Society (Winter 2015).
When the tongue rests gently inside the palate, it acts as a natural orthodontic expander — guiding a well-developed U-shaped arch instead of a high, narrow V-shaped arch with crowding. Tongue-tie is the often-overlooked third barrier (after thumb sucking and mouth breathing) to orthodontic stability and retention.
Visual inspection alone never suffices; diagnosis must be functional. OMT is a necessary adjunct to frenectomy aftercare so unhealthy patterns reverse and new muscle memory can form.