Boy Thought to Be Unable to Speak Now Talk of the Town After Dentist Cuts Tongue-Tie
For six years, Mason Motz was thought to be “nonverbal” and unable to speak. After a simple dental procedure, his dentist found that the problem all along was a tongue tie.
Motz, from Texas, suffers from Sotos Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that leads to bone overgrowth and gigantism, particularly noticeable early in life by distinctive facial appearances. Sotos syndrome is often linked to behavioural issues and issues with intellectual development early in life. Mason was thought to be nonverbal because of this and would struggle with speech therapy and communication.
In November 2017, however, a routine trip to the dentist changed his life. Dr Amy Luedemann-Lazar, a dentist who specializes in taking care of children with special needs, noticed when taking care of a few cavities that his tongue was attached close to the floor of his mouth, and the reason he struggled to speak was that his tongue was tied up. Using a gentle dental laser, Dr Luedeman-Lazar would break the tissue keeping Mason’s tongue stuck to the bottom of his mouth, and by the end of the day, he was able to speak normally. According to his parents, he hasn’t stopped talking since.
What Mason had was an ankyloglossia, otherwise known as a tongue tie. It’s a condition at birth where a sufferer does not have the complete range of motion of their tongue due to being closely attached to the floor of the mouth by a tissue known as a lingual frenulum.
The ways to spot this condition are if a child struggles to move their tongue from side to side, cannot stick their tongue out very far or If the tongue looks heart-shaped when it is stuck out. As it can cause problems speaking and eating, it may need a simple surgical procedure to be fixed.
Join this Discussion