Connie - thanks for sharing your experience with the tongue-tied infant.
 Thought I would share an experience I had this week.  Had an 8 year old in
with a tight upper labial frenum, a tight lower labial frenum, and a tight
tongue tie.  Because of the tight labial frenums the boy already had a larger
than normal gap (diastema) between both his upper and lower front teeth.  He
also had a strong tongue thrust that made him a gagger and therefore made it
very difficult to do a filling on him.  He also had 2 submerged teeth due to
his tongue thrust.  I was trying to educate the mother on how to possibly
prevent a future need for orthodontics, but she was totally not interested.
 Fortunately he was a super kid.  I took pictures of him and have mailed them
off for developing.  Do not know what they will look like - it is very
difficult to take pictures of tight tongues because they usually flit around
like a kite on a short string.

Previously I had explained above problems to the mother who was a speech
therapist.    On my recommendation, she had taken her son to her primary care
physician who told her, just as the MD had told your patient, that cutting
frenums was no longer done and was not needed.  The child does not really
have a speech impediment, and since the mother was a speech therapist and
knew the child did not have a problem, she KNEW that the MD was right.  I
even felt she was a little angry for me even sending her over for a consult.
 She did not want the frenums released because of what the MD had said.  I
therefore documented the tight frenums, malocclusion, and tongue thrust so
that I can educate the MD and parent in about 10 years when the problems will
be more noticeable.  Maybe if the MD has to pay for the orthodontics at a
later time he will be more open to educating himself on the consequences of
tight frenums.

The solution to the problem will be in education - somehow, somewhere, it
must be in the literature that cutting tight frenums is bad - I do not
understand why!  If slides turn out, I will share them with you during my
presentation at the ILCA Conference.

Have some exciting news - have an oral surgeon here in town who is doing
frenotomies and is saying such words as "latch-on" and "let-down".  We are
making progress!

Brian Palmer, DDS - ILCA member, and former professional football player.  If
I had not received a football scholarship I would never have been able to
afford to go to college.  Therefore I could not have gone to dental school
and would not be giving a presentation at the ILCA Conference.  Isn't it
interesting how everyone's path through life is different?