The tongue should be part of any differential diagnosis or assessment in infants and toddlers presenting with a variety of medical problems, Traditional dental and medical school training teaches us that the tongue is merely a muscle free at one end and attached to the oral cavity at the other.

 In reality the tongue should be considered a major organ which exerts its effects on many of our body systems.  This presentation will look at understanding how to determine many of the tethered tongue’s effect in the infant and toddler and how ankyloglossia can product negative effects well into adulthood, specifically oral dysfunction and brain development.