UT Health San Antonio Continuing Dental Education UT Health San Antonio Continuing Dental Education

Lasers and Pediatrics: Tongue and Lip Ties

The PEEL Technique

October 4, 2024 - October 5, 2024

Course Overview

In this combination lecture and hands-on course. attendees will be introduced to the concept of laser frenectomies, an increasingly popular method by which dentists and physicians can treat tongue and lip ties in their patients.

5% or more of the babies born in the United States have such tight tongue-ties and frenum pulls that they cannot successfully breastfeed. For the baby, serious consequences include loss of weight and the label of "failure to thrive." For the mother, this results in soreness, mastitis, painful engorgement, and postpartum depression due to an inability to nurse her baby. This has classically been treated by a physician taking a scalpel or a pair of scissors to the newborn's mouth and cutting the attachment. The treatment of choice, however, is for a dentist to use laser technology to painlessly, bloodlessly remove the attachment, allowing the infant to immediately nurse.

Though many practitioners perform tongue-tie release, few are trained in the PEEL Technique®. This technique ensures that the 4 movements the tongue must make in order to nurse successfully can be performed:

Peristalsis
Elevation
Extension
Lateralization

This participation course will teach you how to:

accumulate all of the required data via history intake forms

perform a clinical examination to arrive at the correct diagnosis

evaluate when this procedure should be done

perform the procedure using laser technology

network with lactation consultants, pediatricians, neonatologists, and the rest of the medical team

grow your practice of neonatal dentistry

This course is recommended for:

General dentists, periodontists, oral surgeons, and pediatric dentists

Pediatricians, family practitioners, neonatologists, obstetricians, pediatric otolaryngologists, pediatric gastroenterologists, and more

Nurse practitioners

Speech and language pathologists, lactation consultants, doulas, and birth counselors

Objectives

In this course, you will learn best practices regarding tongue-tie assessment and treatment, and will participate in a hands-on workshop where you will learn how to remove tongue-ties through the use of soft-tissue lasers on pig jaws.

The hands-on portion of the program will be performed on pig jaws and includes complete instruction on performing lip and tongue tie releases. Each attendee of the course will perform releases on animal jaws. At the conclusion of the course, participants will:

Be able to diagnose anterior and posterior tongue ties

Understand the criteria for treating tongue and lip ties

Know the advantages of the PEEL Technique® over other techniques

Understand which laser wavelengths are most appropriate for performing tongue and lip tie releases

Presenter(s)

Robert Convissar, DDS, BS
- ROBERT CONVISSAR, DDS, BS is a pioneer in the field of laser dentistry. One of the first dentists in the world to incorporate lasers into general practice he has close to 4 decades of experience with CO2, Diode, Erbium, Nd.YAG and PBM wavelengths.
  He has authored over twenty peer-reviewed papers and 7 laser textbooks. An international lecturer from New York to London to Sydney to Tokyo to Dubai to Bahrain to Saudi Arabia and everywhere in between, he has delivered close to 400 Laser Certification and Laser Tongue Tie Certification courses worldwide. He practices laser-assisted dentistry in New York City. He is the only dentist in the world to have the triad of awards:
  • Diplomate of the American Board of Laser Surgery
  • Fellow of the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery
  • Master of the Academy of Laser Dentistry
  As well as being a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry
  
  His seminal textbook Principles and Practice of Laser Dentistry, now in its 3rd edition, has been the standard textbook on laser dentistry for over a decade – translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, and Polish, with more translations pending. He is the co-author of Color Atlas of Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Laser Frenectomy – the first textbook in the world on the subject. He practices laser dentistry in New York City, where he also serves as Director of Laser Dentistry at New York Presbyterian Hospital of Queens. He is the only dentist from the USA on the faculty of the world famous Master’s Degree Program in Laser Dentistry at the University of Genoa (Italy).
Rose Le Blanc, IBCLC
- Rose Le Blanc is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She has been practicing for over 10 years supporting families with their infant feeding goals. Her training began with Dr. Jack Newman, an author and world-renowned breastfeeding expert. She has assisted with thousands of frenectomies and seen firsthand how life-changing this procedure can be with her clients and own children. She works at a pediatric clinic and has a thriving private practice. She lives in Toronto, Ontario with her husband and three teen children. You may contact this author at rose.m.leblanc@gmail.com

Disclosures & Policies

No Recording and Transcription Policy
To protect the privacy, security, and integrity of our programs, meetings, and events, recording of any kind is strictly prohibited unless expressly authorized in writing by the department director. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Video recordings (camera, phone, webcam, or other devices)
- Audio recordings (phone, microphone, digital recorders, etc.)
- Screen captures or screen recordings
- AI-based or automated transcription tools (e.g., apps or software that convert speech to text)

Guidelines: All participants are expected to respect this policy at all times. If recording is necessary as an accommodation, or for education or administrative purposes, prior approval must be obtained in writing. Unauthorized recording or transcription may result in removal from the session and/or further administrative action. Exceptions may only be granted by the department director in advance. Taking detailed notes is encouraged, and participants are welcome to take pictures of the presentation slides for personal use.

Purpose: This policy ensures a safe and respectful environment, protects sensitive and proprietary information, and upholds the confidentiality of all participants.

Course Refund Policy
Please review the Course Refund Policy by clicking here. This policy includes information regarding requirements that attendees must comply with to remain eligible to receive CE, cancelling your registration, course transfers, etc.

Financial Disclosure Statement
It is the policy of the UT Health San Antonio Office of Continuing Dental Education to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its sponsored educational activities. All participating speakers, course directors, and planning committee members are required to disclose to the program audience any financial relationships related to the subject matter of this program. Relationships of spouse/partner with proprietary entities producing health care goods or services should be disclosed if they are of a nature that may influence the objectivity of the individual in a position to control the content of the CDE activity. Disclosure information is reviewed in advance in order to manage and resolve any possible conflicts of interest. Specific disclosure information for each speaker, course director, and planning committee member will be shared with the audience prior to the speaker’s presentation.

This educational activity is free from commercial bias. The planning committee, presenters, and authors have disclosed all financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this content, and any potential conflicts have been identified and mitigated according to ADA CERP standards. No commercial entities have influenced the content, selection, or presentation of materials, and no product endorsements or promotional activities are included in this presentation. Any mention of products, services, or companies is solely for educational purposes and does not imply endorsement.

There is nothing to disclose for this course.

Time

Check-in: 8:30 both days
Program time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM both days

Location

UT Health San Antonio, School of Dentistry

Tuition

Individual: $1195
UT Health Faculty: $995
Individuals who previously attended our laser course (within past 3 years): $1095
Pediatric Dental Residents: $598

(Check-in is the same time on both days.)

Credit

Hours: 12

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the standards of the ADA Continuing Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP) through joint efforts of UT Health San Antonio. UT Health San Antonio is recognized by the ADA CERP as a provider of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.

Registration closed

Course closed.

Register for other dates
October 2, 2026

For help or questions about this program, you can contact us at:
Phone: (210) 567-3177
Email: smile@uthscsa.edu

Business hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Central Time

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The UT Health San Antonio, School of Dentistry is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education.
ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. UTHSCSA designates the number of credit hours for each course individually. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to ADA CERP at www.ada.org/cerp.

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