Last year, when I gave a presentation to the Academy of Laser Dentistry, I sat in on a course by Dr. Larry Katkow, a laser dentist who specializes in babies. In a ten second procedure, he can laser a piece of tissue in the oral cavity and free it from being tethered to the tongue, lip or cheek.
After his lecture, we met in the hallway, and I thanked him for the vast amount of knowledge he imparted including the tell-tale signs a baby has T.O.T. or tethered Oral Tissue.
* If a baby at rest has parted lips.
* If a baby doesn’t latch for breast-feeding
If the issue is not addressed, the child can grow up with:
* Excessive cavities due to being a mouth breather
* A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder) due to lack of good sleep from being a mouth breather
* A misshaped palate causing a speech impediment like in this New York Times article
For years, I have been using this title for my lecture: Tongue-Tied: A Story NOT Silenced by Oral Cancer. Now, I have changed it to: Beating the Odds: A Story NOT Silenced By Oral Cancer.
