Tongue-tied newborn leads Dr. Chris Peterson to expand De Pere Smiles' family dentistry

When Dr. Chris Peterson's wife had trouble breastfeeding their newborn, he couldn’t have predicted the journey that would ensue. Searching for a solution led to developing a niche at De Pere Smiles, his dental practice, that is unique in Wisconsin.

Peterson was born and raised in Marinette where he intended to follow in his dad’s footsteps in the financial sector. But while pursing a business major at St. Norbert College in De Pere, he was drawn to the dental industry.

“Going back to when I was an undergrad, I worked at a dental practice in east De Pere and after shadowing several dentists, my career took a different turn,” he said.

Peterson was accustomed to taking on challenges. At St. Norbert, he played basketball for four years while succeeding academically and was an Academic All-American nominee. After graduation, his passion for dentistry led him to the University of Pittsburgh where he earned his degree in 2015. From there, he received advanced training in general dentistry before moving to De Pere, where he was an associate dentist before purchasing that practice in 2017.

“It was scary to take that risk,” he noted. “But I am a firm believer that at some point you have to take a risk and bet on yourself.”

More:Students can 'feel safe and welcome': Yelonda Harvey to open Kumon Math and Reading Center in Howard

More:Marinette woman opens 2 places: one for coffee, one to help adults with special needs

The clinic, at 1300 W. Main Ave., Ashwaubenon, was already technically advanced with laser dentistry and same day services for crowns and other procedures that took much longer at other practices. From that beginning, it has continued to evolve with a focus on family dentistry.

“We are big on patient experience; that’s number one. Even the name of our business, De Pere Smiles, amplifies that — we want to provide a lifetime of smiles to our clients. From the first call, your experience will be amazing — it is red carpet all the way. We want our clients to be part of our family and rave about us,” he said.

Hundreds of five-star ratings on Google attest that De Pere Smiles is succeeding at that goal. Online comments say things such as, “The staff is amazing." "Everyone was kind and made sure we were informed." "Great team! They provided a step by step plan for a healthy mouth and good smile."

There are also rave reviews for the specialty that has spun off as a second business called “The Wisconsin Tongue Tie Institute.” As noted in the opening paragraph, Peterson and his wife have first-hand experience.

On the website (www.deperesmiles.com) the origin is explained as follows, “After multiple painful and sleepless nights for Audrey (his daughter), he and his wife sought help for a local lactation consultant. After a quick assessment, it was determined she was severely tongue tied, which interfered with successful breastfeeding. Almost immediately after she had a frenectomy (tongue-tie release) completed, the painful and sleepless nights ended.”

This isn’t an unusual problem. With an estimated 10% of children born with some degree of frenum restriction, there can be impeded movement of the tongue and lips. The result may be difficulties with breastfeeding, sticking out their tongues, and speech impediments.

Peterson saw an opportunity to help. He pursued advanced training in treating infant lip and tongue-ties and said that helping young families with breastfeeding issues became a passion. To further serve that need, he added lactation consultants.

“We started adding more staff when we began doing the tongue tie releases,” he said. “As both businesses have grown, we bought a new building in May and spent seven months renovating it. We now have separate entrances and areas for the Wisconsin Tongue Tie Institute and De Pere Smiles.”

The staff now includes two dentists, four assistants, three front-desk personnel, five hygienists, and three lactation specialists. The building is 8,400 square feet. But Peterson does not see this as his end goal; growth is important.

“Our website has a section listing our core values,” he said. “They include five main statements: Do the right thing, grow or die, compassionate honesty, attitude is everything, and go where the work is.”

The values are explained in detail and even include a snapshot of where he plans to be in the future. It says in part, “It’s December 31, 2025, and De Pere Smiles is Wisconsin’s gold standard for dental care. We provide an unmatched combination of honest, cutting-edge dental care, an unparalleled patient experience, and high-quality work…”

To achieve this vision, Peterson is a believer in education and has a Continuing Education Committee to figure out the best ways to educate staff. He has regular staff meetings, encourages suggestions from clients, and bounces off ideas with his adviser, Cody Muenster of Cultivate Advisors in Green Bay.

He said, “I talk to people who have had success and learn what they have to say. I meet with Cody several times a month and he advises our leadership team to discuss goals and growing our business.”

Communication is another important component. Peterson said that playing college basketball taught him how to be a team player.

“The lesson is that communication is essential to making a team. There are so many moving parts in growing a business and it is important to get everyone bought into that,” he said. “We do a weekly team meeting over lunch with the whole dental staff and a separate one for the Tongue Tie Institute.”

The team atmosphere is evidenced by the fun that the staff has. Children may leave with a balloon animal and fear of going to the dentist is abated. A big part of that is Peterson’s mindset that he says is one of continuous improvement. His favorite quote goes along with that.

Quoting the late author and poet Maya Angelou, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Tongue-tied newborn leads Dr. Chris Peterson to expand De Pere Smiles