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Good morning.

In every exam, behind every smile, there’s a bigger story waiting to be told. This week’s More Than Teeth is a reminder that dentistry is no longer just about enamel and alignment—it’s about airway, sleep, and systemic healing. Whether you're new to sleep screening or deep into device therapy, today’s insights will reconnect you with the purpose behind the practice.

In Today’s Edition:

• 1. Sleep is the Signal — What your patients' mouths reveal about their nighttime struggles.

• 2. Screening Made Simple — Easy ways to integrate SRBD screening without derailing your workflow.

• 3. New Tools, Same Mission — How digital innovation is fast-tracking airway-focused dentistry.

• 4. CE Opportunities/Events

5-minute read👇

Clinical Corner

🥼Use the clinical corner as your secret weapon to impress your colleagues and patients!

Key Takeaways🔑

Let’s Talk About the Airway

As a dental student, no one told me that the space behind the upper front teeth could influence a child’s future attention span, immune strength, and facial growth. We were trained to spot cavities, fill holes, and line up teeth—often without asking why they were crowded in the first place.

We know better now.

Sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) are not rare. They’re not benign. And most importantly, they’re not someone else’s job. The truth? We can see the signs. In fact, we’re among the first to notice them.

Every day, dentists look into mouths that tell stories. A scalloped tongue, worn enamel, and underdeveloped jaws—all evidence of a system fighting for air.

And here’s the hopeful part: we can help.

Screening Isn’t Scary. It’s Standard.

The ADA has called us to screen for SRBD. Yet, most general dentists aren’t doing it. Why?

In my dissertation, I interviewed dentists nationwide. Barriers included lack of training, scope-of-practice concerns, and not knowing where to start. (A PDF of the article from the dissertation is attached below.)

Here's where you start:

• Ask: "How’s your sleep?"

• Look: Scalloped tongues, mouth breathing, bruxism (worn teeth)

• Use: STOP-BANG, Epworth, Mallampati (PDF below)

• Refer: to sleep physicians or airway-aware teams

Screening is not complicated. It’s caring.

Tools for the Journey

We’re in a golden age:

• Minimally tongue-crowded 3D-printed MADs in-office.

• Same-day appliance delivery is coming this year. (And you thought you could only do same-day crowns.)

• Cloud-based MAD design tools. (I’m beta-testing this. Stay tuned.)

But transformation doesn’t start with a gadget. It starts with curiosity.

Start here:

• Observe airway risk factors during hygiene

• Integrate STOP-BANG into your intake (PDF below)

• Set up a referral system with sleep-trained MDs

• Host a Parent Education Meeting (PEM)

Airway-aware dentistry is not a fad. 

The dentist of tomorrow sees beyond teeth. They screen, they refer, and they collaborate.

So let’s keep going. Let’s lead with vision.

Because in this practice, it’s always been about more than teeth.

Something Sweet

🍭Stuff so sweet you might get a cavity..

CE Opportunities / Events

Have an event you would like to post? (free) [ click here ]

Miscellaneous

😅P.S. … Thanks for being patient with us as More Than Teeth grows. We’re working hard to make each issue more relevant, engaging, and worth every minute of your time—because your work matters, and so does ours.