The story behind TongueGym: a father's idea that became a global product

Most products start with a market opportunity. TongueGym started with a baby.

When Dr. Eyal Botzer's youngest daughter was born with tongue-tie, he found himself in the same position he'd been advising parents on for over two decades: trying to gently lift a newborn's tongue with his finger, several times a day, to encourage flexibility. As a pediatric dentist who'd treated thousands of tongue-tie cases, he knew exactly what needed to happen. As a father, he discovered something he hadn't appreciated as a clinician.

It's hard. It's uncomfortable for the parent and for the baby. The angles are awkward. And almost everyone — even experienced clinicians — eventually gives up.

From the clinic to the prototype bench

Dr. Botzer had been treating tongue-tie and oral anomalies at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center for more than 25 years, and he was a co-founder of the International Affiliation of Tongue-Tie Professionals. He'd published research on the diagnosis and management of ankyloglossia in infants, going back to a 2005 paper in Pediatric Dentistry. He knew the science.

What he didn't have, at home with his daughter, was a tool sized for the job.

So he made one. The first prototypes were rough — a small instrument with two rounded tips that fit the under-tongue anatomy, sized for the smallest mouths. The shape was deliberate: round enough to be gentle, precise enough to lift accurately, sterile enough for daily use. After several years of iteration with international laboratories, the device was patented (US 10,524,813 and US D822,207) and tested against the FDA's Low Risk General Wellness Products framework and the EU General Product Safety Directive.

What it actually does

The TongueGym is, intentionally, simple. It's a small, BPA-free, medical-grade device that fits over a finger. The double-tipped head is designed to fit the anatomy under and on top of the tongue — so the same tool works for a newborn parent helping their baby and for an adult doing their own myofunctional exercises.

That's the whole product. The reason it took years to design isn't complexity — it's the opposite. Getting something that small, that comfortable, and that anatomically correct meant testing dozens of variations.

Now part of Meltser Sky LTD

As of May 2026, Liper and the TongueGym are owned and operated by Meltser Sky LTD. The product, all of its patents, and the clinical work of Dr. Botzer continue with us. The product itself is unchanged. Customer support — including for anyone who purchased a TongueGym from the previous owner — continues uninterrupted.

It's still the same small white tool, designed for the smallest mouths and made for the biggest moments — a parent helping their newborn, a speech therapist working with a child, an adult building a daily routine.

That hasn't changed since the first prototype. We don't plan to change it.