For new mothers, breastfeeding can be an important part of those first days and weeks with your baby. It provides valuable nutrition while creating an important emotional bond between mother and child. But when nursing is painful or your baby is having difficulty latching or feeding, it can be stressful for the entire family.

At Convivial Dental, we are dedicated to supporting mothers and their newborns throughout Boston, Brookline, Newton, Wellesley, and the surrounding communities. Our team provides infant frenectomy procedures for babies with restricted tongue or lip movement that may be affecting breastfeeding.

What Is a Tongue-Tie or Lip-Tie?

A high or restricted frenum attachment can limit the ability of the tongue and/or upper lip to move appropriately during nursing. A restricted lingual frenum is commonly referred to as a tongue-tie, while a restricted upper lip frenum is often called a lip-tie.

Some signs that your baby may have a restricted tongue or lip include:

• Painful nursing for the mother
• Biting of the nipple
• Prolonged nursing with long breaks or naps between feedings
• Irritability during feeding
• Difficulty gaining weight
• Swallowing excess air that may cause stomach discomfort
• A U-shaped or heart-shaped tongue
• An upper lip that folds inward during nursing

Feeding challenges can have many causes, and not every baby with a restricted frenum requires treatment. Our team will evaluate your baby and discuss whether an infant frenectomy may be appropriate.

A Gentle Approach to Infant Frenectomy

Infant frenectomy is one of the procedures we perform at Convivial Dental. We use a CO₂ superpulsed laser to precisely release the restricted frenum and improve the movement of the tongue and/or upper lip.

We understand that having a procedure performed on your newborn can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to make the experience as gentle and comfortable as possible for both baby and parent.

After swaddling the baby, the doctor will apply a small amount of sugarwater and perform the operation.

Following the procedure, your baby can return to you for nursing within minutes. 

We will also provide you with exercises to help minimize the possibility of the frenum re-attaching during the healing process. Parents are asked to follow these exercises for approximately three to four weeks.

Supporting Your Breastfeeding Journey

We believe that caring for a baby with a restricted frenum is about more than the procedure itself. That’s why Dr. Zavras’ team works in conjunction with speech pathologists, occupational therapists and lactation consultants to improve oral function, speech, swallowing, and nursing.

We also suggest working with an IBCLC lactation consultant or nurse following an infant frenectomy to help support your breastfeeding goals.

Our use of dental laser technology offers several advantages over traditional scalpel surgery, including precise treatment, better control, minimal or no bleeding, less postoperative swelling, and faster healing.

If you’re concerned about your baby’s latch, feeding, or possible tongue-tie or lip-tie, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Our team is here to listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and help you understand your options.

Call Convivial Dental at 617-735-0800 to or click here to schedule a consultation.

We proudly support families throughout Brookline, Brighton, Boston, Cambridge, Wellesley, Needham, Dedham, Jamaica Plain, and surrounding communities, as well as families referred to our practice from throughout New England and beyond.

Not every orthodontic concern requires full treatment.

Maybe your teeth have started shifting. Maybe there’s one thing about your smile that has bothered you for years. Or maybe you know you could benefit from orthodontic treatment, but a larger financial commitment just isn’t right for you right now.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to wait.

At Convivial Dental, orthodontist Dr. Vicky Cartsos will start by understanding what you want to accomplish and what makes sense for you right now. In some cases, a simple touch-up or limited orthodontic treatment may be enough to make a meaningful difference.

Let’s start with a conversation about your options.

Request a Consultation with Dr. Cartsos today.

Sometimes, a little treatment can go a long way.

Orthodontic treatment isn’t always all or nothing. Depending on your smile and your goals, a more limited approach may help you:

• Stop teeth from shifting further

Noticing changes in a smile that was once straight? Addressing movement earlier may help prevent a relatively small concern from becoming more complicated.

• Fix the thing that’s bothering you

One tooth. One space. One area of your smile. If you’re happy overall but there’s something you’d like to change, talk to us about whether limited treatment may be appropriate.

• Touch up a previously treated smile

Teeth can move over time, even after orthodontic treatment. If your smile has shifted since you had braces or aligners, you may not need to start over with comprehensive treatment.

• Buy yourself some time

Not ready for more extensive orthodontic treatment? There may be an appropriate way to address an immediate concern now while giving you more time before considering comprehensive care.

Before you assume orthodontic treatment is too expensive, find out what you actually need.

If cost has been keeping you from scheduling an orthodontic consultation, don’t assume treatment has to be extensive.

Dr. Cartsos can evaluate your smile, listen to what you want to accomplish, and explain what needs attention now, what may be able to wait, and whether a simpler treatment option is appropriate.

You may need comprehensive treatment. You may not.

Either way, you’ll have a clear understanding of your options so you can make an informed decision about what makes sense for you.

The right care starts with the right specialist.

At Convivial Dental, your family has access to pediatric dentistry, general dentistry and orthodontics, all in one practice.

That means children can see a pediatric dental specialist. Adults can receive ongoing general dental care. And when someone in the family needs orthodontic expertise, Dr. Vicky Cartsos is right here.

Having specialists working together also means your orthodontic care can be considered alongside your overall dental health, with communication between the professionals caring for your family's smiles.

One practice. The right specialist for everyone in your family.

What does “starting simple” look like?

1. Tell us what’s bothering you.
We want to understand what you’re seeing, what you’d like to change and what matters most to you.

2. Have your smile evaluated by an orthodontist.
Dr. Cartsos will determine what’s happening and whether it makes sense to address it now.

3. Understand your options.
If a limited approach is appropriate, we’ll explain it. If comprehensive orthodontic treatment would provide a better or healthier result, we’ll explain why.

4. Decide what makes sense for you.
You’ll have the information you need to make a confident decision without assuming you need more treatment than you actually do.

Don’t let cost keep you from finding out what’s possible.

A small orthodontic concern today may not always stay small. And the treatment you’re imagining may be more than you actually need.

Let’s find out. Let’s start simple.

Schedule a Complimentary Consultation Today!

Orthodontic treatment traditionally begins somewhere between the ages of 10 and 14, but there’s no need to stand on tradition where your child’s dental health is concerned! If you have concerns about your child’s orthodontic development, even before the tween years, an orthodontic evaluation will let you know your child’s best options for a healthy, confident smile.

First Visit—By Age 7

The team at Convivial Dental recommends that you schedule a first orthodontic evaluation for your child by age seven (or earlier if any bite problems or jaw asymmetry are apparent). By this age, most children have a mix of both adult and baby teeth, and orthodontists can determine whether the position and development of the teeth and jaws are on track.

During this visit, your orthodontist will also carefully assess how your child’s teeth and jaws fit together when biting down. Healthy occlusion, or bite, means that the teeth and jaws are aligned and work together comfortably. A malocclusion, or bad bite, means that there is a problem with this alignment.

Your orthodontist might discover:

• No issues for concern.
• A possibility for future orthodontic problems. In this case, follow-up appointments might be scheduled to determine whether and when treatment should occur.
• Orthodontic problems which are already evident, with a recommendation for early intervention.

Early Orthodontic Intervention—Ages 6-9

Some children can benefit from “interceptive orthodontics,” first stage orthodontic treatment begun around the ages of six to nine.

Early intervention can help prevent crowded teeth, protect protruding teeth, and correct jaw alignment problems.

• If a child has a small upper dental arch, palatal expanders can gently enlarge the arch to make room for the adult teeth to arrive without crowding.
• When a baby tooth is lost too soon, space maintainers save room for the adult tooth beneath it to erupt in just the right spot.
• Protruding front teeth have a higher risk of injury from falls or collisions, and treatment will help protect them.
• Treatment for malocclusions like overbites, underbites, and open bites helps create a more comfortable, symmetrical, and healthy bite while young bones are growing, and may prevent the necessity for more complicated treatment in the teen years.

Tween and Teen Years—Ages 10-14

It’s common to treat malocclusions during the tween/teen years. During this stage of development, it’s easier for teeth to move to their ideal positions, because most of the adult teeth have arrived and the jawbones haven’t completed their growth.

Today’s orthodontics offers teens a number of treatment options:

• Braces are smaller and more comfortable, and brackets come in a variety of colors and materials to blend in or stand out.
• Clear aligners are almost invisible, and can treat many types of mild to moderate malocclusions.
• Functional appliances like the Herbst® appliance, the Forsus™ device, the twin-block appliance, and headgear work with braces or aligners to help correct more complex malocclusions.

And there’s more—modern orthodontic options are less noticeable, more effective, and take less time to achieve a beautiful, healthy smile.

Problems with alignment and bite are best treated as early as possible to prevent dental damage, improve self-confidence, and avoid more complicated treatment in the future. If you or Drs. Cartsos and Zavras are concerned about your child’s orthodontic health, an orthodontic evaluation is the best way to decide how to proceed.

So, when’s the best time to schedule an orthodontic assessment in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts? There’s no better time than today!

Your retainer is an essential tool in keeping your teeth and bite beautifully aligned after orthodontic treatment. But sometimes, that hardworking tool needs some TLC of its own. Read on to learn how to keep your retainer its sparkling, healthy best!

Retainer buildup

You might notice after a few months of use that your retainer is stained with white spots or a discolored film. Or that there are gritty patches on its smooth surface. Or you might suddenly notice an unpleasant odor.

If you’re wondering what’s happened to your once-gleaming retainer, let’s break down the sources of these stains, deposits, and odors.

• Plaque is a mix of food particles, bacteria, and saliva which sticks to tooth enamel. If it’s not removed, plaque can harden into tartar. And, just like plaque and tartar stick to your enamel, plaque and tartar can transfer from the teeth and stick to your retainer, leaving white spots or a discolored film.
• Mineral deposits are another source of white spots and gritty buildup. Calcium and phosphate are two of the minerals found in saliva. They replace the calcium and phosphate minerals which have been stripped from tooth enamel by acidic foods or the acids created by plaque bacteria. And while these minerals are vital for enamel health, they’re not doing your retainer any favors! As saliva dries on your retainer, it leaves behind a residue of these white gritty minerals.
• When food particles and plaque build up on teeth, they cause bad breath. When food particles and plaque build up on retainers, they cause an unpleasant odor.

Removing Retainer Buildup

How do we break down this buildup? There are some simple ways to reduce or remove plaque, tartar, and mineral accumulation when you’re taking care of your retainer:

• Rinse your retainer off as soon as you remove it from your mouth.
• Clean your retainer every day with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Because even non-abrasive toothpastes can be hard on a retainer, ask the team at Convivial Dental which toothpaste—if any—is safe for use.
• Regular deeper cleaning helps reduce the chance of buildup. Drs. Cartsos and Zavras can suggest effective ways to get your retainer its cleanest, with recommendations like a white vinegar/water soak or an over-the-counter cleaning product made for retainers. Deep clean weekly or monthly as needed.
• Use cool or lukewarm water when you brush or soak your appliance, because hot water can warp retainers.
• Don’t forget to clean your case regularly, as it can also harbor plaque, minerals, germs, and food particles.
• If stubborn stains persist, bring your retainer into our office in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts for evaluation. Sometimes professional cleaning is necessary.

Prevention is best!

Of course, the very best way to reduce retainer buildup is to prevent it from accumulating in the first place.

• Keep your teeth clean. When your brushing and flossing is on point, you’ll really reduce the amount of food particles and bacteria which transfer to your retainer.
• If you can’t brush right away, rinsing with water after eating or drinking helps remove food particles and acids from the teeth. Water is also safe to drink with your retainer in place. Which leads us to . . .
• Retainers aren’t meant for meals and snacks. Eating solid foods can damage your retainer. Food particles stick to retainers. Clear plastic retainers which fit over the teeth can stain. And, because they fit closely over the teeth, clear retainers can trap foods and beverages next to your teeth, exposing your enamel to sugars and acids over a longer period. Place your retainer in its case, enjoy your meal, and brush and floss as directed before your replace the retainer in your mouth.

A clean retainer is a healthy retainer! Keep your retainer—and your teeth and gums—in the best of health with simple, daily TLC.