Tongue-tie: Morphogenesis, Impact, Assessment and Treatment

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Tongue-tie: Morphogenesis, Impact, Assessment and Treatment busts the myths associated with tongue-tie that prevent the re-establishment of routine assessment and treatment of the condition in the early postpartum period. Dr. Hazelbaker provides both the old and new evidence that enables clinicians to properly assess, diagnose and treat this genetic condition that creates so many problems with infant feeding, speech and orofacial development.

Dr. Hazelbaker presents the embryological and physiological underpinnings of tongue-tie, discusses tongue-tie’s impact, provides information on assessment and classification then rounds out her book with research-based treatment options and guidelines. She weaves in her personal story, having been tongue-tied and being the mother of two formerly tongue-tied children, as well as the stories of many other families into the science, creating both a readable and credible book. Tongue-tie: Morphogenesis, Impact, Assessment and Treatment is the definitive book on tongue-tie that will serve health professionals and policy-makers worldwide as they endeavor to change the clinical culture surrounding this common but under appreciated problem.

Reviews

“As a medical student and resident in pediatrics, I was taught that the tight lingual frenulum was a normal variant of the tongue which caused no clinical impairment of function of the tongue. I was advised to avoid those who said otherwise. This teaching was eventually formalized in both the official education publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Pediatrics Review and Education Program in 1995, and in the testing of the American Board of Pediatrics as listed in their Content Specifications in 1993. Breastfeeding was unusual during the years of my pediatric residency (1975-78) and expertise in the support of the breastfeeding dyad was not in my pediatric training curriculum. I followed the accepted practice until I joined the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine in 2001 and began my education in support of breastfeeding in earnest. 

Things are changing and physicians are rethinking their beliefs in light of the uniform success that is being experienced by those who are releasing tongue-ties. While there are a few remaining holdouts at my center, frenulotomy for breastfeeding difficulty has now been established as an extremely safe and appropriate procedure to perform in the first few days of life. The ever increasing mountain of evidence demonstrating this cannot be ignored much longer by evidence based healthcare providers. As the boulder of opinion about this is nearing the top of the impact hill, more HCPs and lay people alike joint in pushing this boulder over the top. Once this critical mass of opinion has been achieved the process will be self-sustaining and rapidly result in the establishment of a “But we have always clipped problem tongue-ties” standard of practice. This day is not far off thanks to the tireless effort of so many dedicated individuals working to make this happen. 

In this book, Dr. Alison Hazelbaker nicely documents the progress of this movement from biblical times to the present explaining in explicit detail the critical milestones of the journey and clearly explaining the anatomic and physiologic processes involved. Her detailed explanations of the origin of tongue in the embryo and clinical difficulties in the infant, child and adult are well constructed and beautifully illustrated. The complexities of both the clinical manifestations of tongue-ties of various types and the politically charged medical environment in which we must operate and convince others of the importance of tongue-tie for breastfeeding, speech, dental, and many other oral functions are discussed in sufficient detail to give the reader a comprehensive understanding of the current issues and the work yet to be done. For professionals who work with breastfeeding dyads the information in this book is essential to a complete understanding of the tongue-tie disorder spectrum. I highly recommend it.”

James G. Murphy, MD, FAAP, FABM, IBCLC

Escondido, CA

Testimonials

Dr. Hazelbaker’s book is an excellent encyclopedia of information for all professionals and nursing mothers concerning the potential effects of tongue-tie from birth on. It should be required reading for physicians, dentists, lactation consultants, and anyone else who works with the oral structures, before they graduate from their educational programs. This book debunks the many tongue-tie myths that have taken on a life of their own throughout the years.

̶ Lawrence Kotlow, DDS
Pediatric  Oral Surgeon
USA

I have been using Dr. Hazelbaker’s assessment tool, (ATLFF), successfully for more than fifteen years. Once I learned it, I quickly and objectively have “scored” over 2,000 patients.  I use the number to decide whether or not to treat the lingual frenulum.  This book will help many other practitioners successfully prevent all the problems associated with tongue-tie.

̶ Greg Notestine, DDS
Private Practice Dentistry
USA

Dr. Hazelbaker, the pioneer of the contemporary understanding of the significance of tongue-tie, has written the first modern book on the subject. It will become a “must-read” for every health care provider who works with neonates and children. Her experience and insight will, as well, equally benefit parents and those afflicted with tongue-tie.

̶ Eyal Botzer, DMD
Director of Pediatric Dentistry, Tel Aviv Medical Center
Israel

This book is a significant milestone on the way to achieving understanding of a condition that is widespread, misunderstood and under-treated. Dr. Hazelbaker has produced a reference handbook containing not only all of the current literature and findings but also a wealth of supporting detail, which adds much needed practical advice to the theory. This book is essential reading for any practitioner who deals with tongue-tie.

̶ Carmen Fernando, Speech Language Pathologist
Author, Tongue-tie: from Confusion to Clarity
Australia 

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