The TPA and The Tongue-Tie Experience -2 Days Checked off on the Journey
I've made some stark revelations during the first 24 hours of having my braces and the TPA put on my teeth but the most significant one relates back to the wise words of the Bible. In the book of James 3:8 the scripture says "But the tongue can no man tame, it is an unruly evil:. While the initial writing of this scripture focuses on the spoken word, I can honestly say "the tongue is an unruly evil" in more ways than just saying things it should not. Let me further explain.
The Trans-Palatal Arch is a metal bar that fits across the palate. The metal bar is attached with metal bands around two upper molar teeth. The picture below shows an example of how the metal bar looks inside the top of my mouth.
The TPA does not hurt by simply being in place. The problem begins when my evil tongue cannot be controlled. Our tongues are curious and they seek out all strange visitors in our mouth. From the moment I left Dr. Sherman's office my tongue begin investigating the TPA and even though I have tried very hard to control my tongue it continues to find its way back to the TPA.
I've learned more about my tongue movement in the past 24 hours then I ever knew. My tongue hangs out most of the time at the top of my mouth where it is suppose to rest comfortably. With every swallow my tongue pushes forcefully against the TPA as if it thinks it can remove the TPA from its position. Regardless of my attempts to psychologically decrease the force or the movement my tongue near and around the TPA it continues to do what it was designed to do - explore and move things from my mouth. Tongues are dominate, Type A creatures with a mind of their own. The constant swallowing and force of my tongue against the TPA has begun to cause pain to my tongue. Even with the pain, my tongue continues to visit the TPA with determination!
My daughter Crystal Michelle has learned about the many problems babies who are born tongue-tied experience because of the anatomical limitations. Sadly, babies who are tongue-tied struggle to nurse properly and are often mislabeled as colicky or fussy. During the past week I've been able to fully relate to how babies who are tongue-tied feel. My tongue is somewhat "tied" because of the limited ability to move as it should move. Swallowing is difficult and moving food past the TPA is especially a struggle. But unlike a tongue-tied baby I can think through the issues and seek options to avoid the limitations of my "tongue-tied" movement.
Given the limited movement and the overwhelming determination of my tongue to "feel" the metal bar, I'm confident that I will adjust and eventually re-train my tongue to leave the TPA alone. Oddly, I've learned that when I sing my tongue doesn't want to hang out at the roof of my mouth as well as when I walk on the treadmill my tongue is distracted. So I guess for the next 18 months I can sing my favorite songs loudly and keep walking when I need to give my tongue a break from beating itself up on the TPA.
My daughter Crystal Michelle has learned about the many problems babies who are born tongue-tied experience because of the anatomical limitations. Sadly, babies who are tongue-tied struggle to nurse properly and are often mislabeled as colicky or fussy. During the past week I've been able to fully relate to how babies who are tongue-tied feel. My tongue is somewhat "tied" because of the limited ability to move as it should move. Swallowing is difficult and moving food past the TPA is especially a struggle. But unlike a tongue-tied baby I can think through the issues and seek options to avoid the limitations of my "tongue-tied" movement.
Given the limited movement and the overwhelming determination of my tongue to "feel" the metal bar, I'm confident that I will adjust and eventually re-train my tongue to leave the TPA alone. Oddly, I've learned that when I sing my tongue doesn't want to hang out at the roof of my mouth as well as when I walk on the treadmill my tongue is distracted. So I guess for the next 18 months I can sing my favorite songs loudly and keep walking when I need to give my tongue a break from beating itself up on the TPA.
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