Oral Function and Tongue Tie Support

At Acorn Family Health and Wellness Centre, many families begin their journey with us during feeding challenges, concerns around tongue tie, or questions about their baby’s comfort, latch, or breathing. These early signs often reflect more than just what is happening in the mouth.

We understand that the tongue, jaw, and palate are deeply connected to posture, airway, and the way the nervous system develops and adapts. What we see during feeding or oral function is often part of a larger pattern within the body.

Our approach looks well beyond the tongue alone. We assess the lips, palate, jaw, cranial bones, and the entire spine, while also observing patterns of tension and compensation throughout the body. From infancy through childhood and into adulthood, these patterns can influence development, behaviour, sleep, airway, feeding, speech, posture, and overall function.

Care begins with a comprehensive assessment of both oral function and the full body. We look at how the body has adapted and organized, including movement patterns, tone, reflexes, coordination, and regulation. To further understand how the brain and body are communicating, we incorporate advanced nervous system assessments such as Heart Rate Variability (HRV) along with other tools that provide insight into nervous system function.

This work is guided through a neurodevelopmental, brain-based lens. Even when structure has been addressed, function does not automatically improve. The nervous system must learn how to coordinate and integrate these changes.

Our chiropractors are trained in tongue tie and oral function assessment and utilize the PIPS™ (Pediatric Intraoral Palate Specific) Technique, developed by Dr. Jenna Davis. This approach uses specific correction, alongside cranial, fascial, and tonal work, to assess and address intraoral tension, palate dynamics, and neuromuscular coordination within a whole body system. It is a highly sought-after approach that is being used and taught worldwide in the assessment and support of oral function.

The comprehensive approach and care provided at Acorn Family Health plays an important role in preparing the body prior to a release, supporting optimal outcomes following a release, and helping determine when a release is or is not indicated. It is equally impactful as a stand-alone approach for ongoing oral dysfunction, pediatric and adult TMD, jaw tension, and whole-body compensation patterns.

Care is always individualized and often collaborative. We work closely with lactation consultants, feeding specialists, speech-language pathologists, dentists, medical doctors and pediatricians, myofunctional therapists, and other bodyworkers including manual osteopathic practitioners, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists to ensure each individual or family is fully supported. <a href=”/reflexology/”>Reflexology</a> is another service we offer that can beautifully complement our oral function care as part of a comprehensive approach, helping to create regulation and support the tongue-to-toes connection across all ages.

Families and individuals often seek this care for:

• Feeding and latch challenges
• Tongue tie or lip tie, including pre-release preparation and post-release rehabilitation
• Heightened gag reflex or oral sensitivity
• Airway and breathing patterns across all ages
• Tension through the head, neck, and jaw
• Pediatric and adult TMD and jaw dysfunction
• Speech and oral motor development
• Difficulty with textures, chewing, or swallowing
• Ongoing compensation patterns affecting posture and movement

Our focus is not just on the mouth, but on how the entire system is functioning. When the body is better connected and coordinated, we often see meaningful changes in comfort, regulation, and overall ease in how a person moves, breathes, feeds, and functions.