Author: Michael Kelley

In June of this year under the direction of David Gergen, CEO of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy (ASBA), more than 300 comments were submitted by ASBA members to regulators charged with overseeing the transportation industry. Evidence of the positive impact made by ASBA members commenting was clearly seen when the regulators extended the commenting period. Fast forward three months later and you can find the ASBA in Washington D.C presenting to a Caucus Committee of the U.S. Senate on behalf of dentists nationwide. “The goal is to make oral appliances the true benchmark for mild to moderate sleep apnea,” says Gergen. “Now we have received a response regarding our September meeting in Washington and plans are being made for us to go back. This is a excellent sign we are making progress.” The ASBA is now waiting on a ruling by the Department of Transportation. When the ruling has been officially announced, the ASBA will return to Washington D.C. and continue to fight for dentists’ right in the field of sleep medicine. David Gergen says, “Dr. Elliott Alpher has been key because he is right there in D.C. When we need something done, Dr. Alpher has been able to mobilize quickly and attend meetings with congressmen and senators because of his ideal location and respectability.” Gergen announced, “Although the previous meeting produced a compelling message to congressmen, senators and law-makers that hold influential positions there will be some changes made to the team to add more firepower to the presentation.” He will return with more NFL superstars and the ASBA board has agreed to add Dr. Rod Willey to the team. Gergen and Alpher are strategizing right now to maximize the impact by tapping into executive director Alan Hickey’s vast knowledge of computer graphics and digital imagery. Hickey acquired the knowledge and experience during his time spent working with Disney Dreamworks. To learn more about the American Sleep and Breathing Academy visit AmericanSleepAndBreathingAcademy.com, email info@myasba.com or call 602-478-9713.

When you decide to attend a dental sleep educational course, where do you begin? You have to know who you’re learning from, credentials/experience of the organization and it’s speakers, and the method of instruction that will provide you with the desired outcome. At the ASBA Study Club you will be educated from A-Z on how to build a million-dollar practice, from experts who are actually doing it in the industry, and who know the model inside and out. The mentors presenting in this course include Rod Willey, Kevin Mueller, Kent Smith, and Larry Tilley, all of which made this decision to attend this function and start their success stories. To be a mentor and be spotlighted by the ASBA, you are required to have done $1 million a year in sleep medicine. This means that these expert sleep doctors have the proven skills to back up the wisdom they share. Register now for the ASBA Study Club, what Dr. Harry Sugg in Dallas, TX said is, “Hands down the best dental sleep education I’ve ever received”. The ASBA hosts regular courses with the goal to revolutionize the Academy Doctor relationship by assisting thousands of dental practices integrate sleep medicine into their practice. On December 9th and 10th, you will be given the final opportunity in 2016 to learn these valuable skills. These professionals will show you peer to peer what to do, what not to do and how to locate patients and get them through your door. While the speakers will have presentations, they won’t just be presenting. This is a workshop geared course, designed to help you excel by educating you in a Q&A type environment for you and your staff. After attending, you will be able to return home and have an immediate positive impact on your dental sleep practice. This learning experience is in an elite and non-vendor atmosphere, where practitioners who have built million-dollar practices will offer their combined experience of treating over 4,000 cases. Remember 6 years ago, Rod Willey, the biggest stand-alone sleep practice in America, and Paul Vanwalleghem who has done over $1.5 million in sleep, JC Goodwin, another giant in the industry, all sat in on this very same study club. You can register at https://asba.net/ For more info call 602-478-9713 or email info@myasba.com

Because over 80 percent of adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remain undiagnosed, they have an increased likelihood of developing health problems, which includes obesity, heart, kidney, and liver disease. Many of these adults will undergo surgery at some point in their lives, and will have the added risk of preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative complications…. To read more of this week’s article in the ASBA Diplomate and Board Member Dr. Elliott Alpher’s Huffington Post, click here.

This event will be an in depth two day course on introduction to dental sleep medicine for anyone interested in treating OSA in their practice and also for the doctor who has a number of cases under their belt, but has trouble getting paid or achieving successful results. You can easily become the envy of every other dentist in town. In this course, we will teach you the basics to converting your dental practice into a hybrid sleep apnea treatment center. But we won’t just teach you how to treat sleep apnea, we are going to give you the master key to unlock the secrets of getting those patients in your chair. Millions of people are in need of treatment, and you can offer it to them. The problem is they don’t know it or don’t want to see a doctor for it! Register now for this course to discover how you can create an exclusive competitive advantage that’s specifically engineered to creating solutions for those two issues. We’re talking a marketing strategy that nobody else can offer. You will be using the biggest brand of them all and to benefit your practice; the NFL. The ASBA has an exclusive connection with retired NFL players, and have continued to refer them to our members each month. By attending this course, you will actually get to mingle with a number of retired players who have already been treated by an ASBA dentist with an oral appliance and find out how you can treat former players in your community. The problem with other courses is they only teach you clinical aspects of treating sleep or try to sell you equipment. We want you to be successful! And that means getting patients in your practice, showing you how to successfully treat them and getting paid for it. Let’s face it, if you don’t know how to market your dental sleep practice, you can’t use any of the information you received (or the new equipment you bought from that last course you attended) because you don’t have patients. Did you know the ASBA holds non-vendor courses throughout the year? You won’t have to worry about being bombarded with sales, which allows you to focus completely on dental sleep education. Don’t let the amateurs teach you bad techniques. Learn from the experts who have years and thousands of cases behind them. Not only will you receive a wealth of information, attendees will be granted 16 CES and learn how to become that dentist who everyone knows as “The dentist who treats NFL players”. Don’t miss out on this course! Register now by clicking here.   Event Details December 9-10 Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak 7677 N 16th St Phoenix, AZ 85020

Why can’t YOU have a million-dollar dental sleep medicine practice? You can! When you decide to attend this ASBA Study Club you will be educated from A-Z on how to build a million-dollar practice, from experts who are actually doing it in the industry, and who know the model inside and out. To be a mentor and be spotlighted by the ASBA, you are required to have done $1 million a year in sleep medicine. The ASBA hosts regular courses with the goal to revolutionize the Academy Doctor relationship by assisting thousands of dental practices integrate sleep medicine into their practice. On December 9th and 10th, you will be given the final opportunity in 2016 to learn these valuable skills. This learning experience is in an elite and non-vendor atmosphere, where practitioners who have built million-dollar practices will offer their combined experience of treating over 4,000 cases. Remember 6 years ago, Rod Willey the biggest stand-alone sleep practice in America, and Paul Vanwalleghem who has done over $1.5 million in sleep, JC Goodwin, another giant in the industry, all sat in on this very same study club and now look where they are today. If you’re an experienced clinician, there’s no better place to learn about dental sleep. You will gain the knowledge and tools needed to exponentially improve and invigorate your practice. Maybe you will become the next Rod Willey!   These mini-conferences are unique, very affordable, 100%-nonprofit events designed to help ASBA members and potential members enjoy continued prosperity & growth. Many have left the conference saying that it was the most vital, essential & powerful dental sleep learning event they’ve ever attended!  This past September’s study club was so well received, attendees said it was the most valuable information they had ever been given in sleep medicine. They were so impressed with the Study Club format, they said this was the best value in all of dentistry. We feature Doctors from a wide range of markets who will share insight with you on how to grow your dental sleep practice. Hear accounts from real ASBA members! Learn from their successes at our Study Club! Register for the ASBA study club now as spots are limited! Register here: https://asba.net/december-2016-study-club/

The Jet Stream Roy Green was one of the last stars of the St. Louis Cardinals and the first stars of the Arizona Cardinals. His respect was earned across the league by his ability to not just start, but dominate on offense and on defense. His speed was among the worldly elite and his “football IQ” was top notch. The American Sleep and Breathing Academy (ASBA) is proud to congratulate its biggest advocate who boasts a 100% attendance rate for every ASBA event, Mr. Roy Green, for entering the Cardinals Ring of Honor on October 2, 2016. He joins 15 other Cardinals immortals, but is the first to have played on both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Cardinals.   After he was notified by Michael Bidwell, President AZ Cardinals, he reflected by saying, “He [Michael Bidwell] appreciates those days in St. Louis as well as I do,” Green said. “That’s where it all starts. It’ll never be forgotten, particularly for me. I still have a lot of friends, acquaintances there. It’s where my daughters had their memories as young kids. It’s very important — the linkage between the two — for me.”   Since being retired from the NFL, Roy Green has shifted his focus to helping improve the well-being of current and former professional athletes through promoting sleep apnea awareness across the country. He has teamed up with David Gergen, Executive Director of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy, and a company called Pro Player Health Alliance to hold free public awareness events and private player health screenings in communities all over the nation. After becoming a member of Pro Player Health Alliance and using his extensive amount of connections to players, he has helped get over 1,600 former players successfully tested and/or treated for obstructive sleep apnea.   Green’s career statisctics are spectacular: 559 catches for 8,965 yards and 66 touchdowns. He topped 1,000 yards receiving in 1983 and 1984 in St. Louis, and 1988 in Arizona. As a rookie in ’79, his 106-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was a league record, only to be tied by AZ Cardinals RB David Johnson a year ago. His best year was 1983 when he caught 78 passes for 1,555 yards and 12 TDs. At the time, that yardage total was third-highest in NFL history. Hall of Fame coach John Madden called him not just the best wide receiver in the game, but the best player.   “What he’s done on the football field pales in comparison to what he’s done for players’ health,” says Gergen. “And I’ve always been one of his biggest fans, so that says a lot about Roy as a person. What he has done for the ASBA, helping us fulfill our mission of spreading awareness to everyone, members of this academy and the professional athletes nationwide we can’t thank him enough. ”  

Tuesday, September 27, 2016   The American Sleep and Breathing Academy (ASBA) is continuing to forge a pathway to better sleep nationwide. By providing advanced education to dentists and connecting them with physicians, the ASBA is able to provide potential patients with the treatment they need. Furthermore, public outreach is a key objective of the ASBA and what better way to do it than going to the U.S. House of Representatives and presenting to congressional members and regulators? That’s exactly what came to pass September 27, 2016.   “Our objective is to make oral appliances the true benchmark for mild to moderate sleep apnea. We know big CPAP manufacturers have their lobbyists to ensure that does not happen, even though in 2006 the government said oral appliances should be a treatment option. We’re fighting every step of the way,” said David Gergen, CEO of the ASBA.   Introductions were made by Dr. Elliott Alpher in a hearing that attracted approximately 70 members of Congress and additional regulators. Dr. Alpher focused on informing them of the innovative solutions for sleep apnea such as oral appliance therapy that will help people with public safety, government spending, protection for military, and all transportation personnel. “The lawmakers want solutions and oral appliances are becoming the answer,” says Gergen.   Dr. Neal Seltzer followed with a spectacular presentation. He began by saying, “David Gergen has done more for dental sleep medicine in the last two years than the entire industry combined in the last 30 years by spreading awareness of obstructive sleep apnea.” Dr. Seltzer then explained the benefits of treatment with an oral appliance and why dentists are crucial in identifying obstructive sleep apnea. Benefits over alternative treatments include low initial and long term cost to the patient and healthcare system, no replacement parts and they are travel friendly. Dr. Seltzer also brought to attention the ability to measure compliance of oral appliance therapy with a micro-recorder embedded in the appliance. With such technological advances, transportation workers now have an alternative treatment option available to them. Afterwards Dr. Richard Klein, a TMJ expert who has lectured all over the world, explained the importance in fully understanding TMD when delivering an oral appliance.   Next up to the stand was David Gergen and NFL superstar Jet Stream Roy Green. Together they delivered a powerful message describing the problem with sleep apnea and former professional athletes. Gergen illustrated a masterpiece, describing to the caucus how he has travelled the country and spread awareness to hundreds of thousands of people; his efforts have lead to the treatment of thousands of people. After Gergen was finished speaking, Green stepped up to the stand and opened by saying, “I’m not a doctor like the people that spoke before me – David Gergen is the smartest person I know – I’m just a football player here to share my story.” Mr. Green, who personally has experienced two strokes and three heart attacks, pointed out he has not had those issues since being treated with an oral appliance and how thrilled he is to be involved with an organization dedicated to saving lives.   Dr. David Singh specializes in providing natural ways for the body to improve snoring and sleep apnea in adults, as well as tooth alignment and facial appearance using novel protocols including Epigenetic orthopedics. As he presented, everyone in the room was amazed at the especially interesting solution because it actually increases the size of the airway, eliminating the need for life-long treatment with CPAP, oral appliance or surgery.   The presentation ended with Dr. Kent Smith, ASBA President Elect, offering a fantastic overview of the meeting. Dr. Smith emphasized how dangerous sleep apnea is in multiple aspects of life stating mind blowing statistics about the millions of sleep apnea related deaths/injuries in vehicular crashes each year.   Overall, the American Sleep and Breathing Academy’s trip to Washington D.C. produced a compelling message to congressmen, senators and rule-makers that hold influential positions. The presentations were more than well received and are sure to help dentists and patients alike across the country. The ASBA is in the process of scheduling another hearing that will be announced soon. To learn more about the American Sleep and Breathing Academy visit AmericanSleepAndBreathingAcademy.com, email info@myasba.com or call 602-478-9713.  

At the beautiful Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak in Phoenix, Arizona, the American Sleep and Breathing Academy (ASBA) held another successful Study Club and Diplomate Review Course/Exam. The event was sold out with over 50 dentists and their staff attending what was called “the best sleep course I’ve ever spent money on” by Dr. Harry Sugg out of Dallas, TX. The speaker lineup was incredible, featuring the power house in dental sleep medicine Dr. Rod Willey, Dr. Kevin Mueller, Dr. Brad Eli, Dr. Paul Vanwalleghem and Dr. Cynthia Wiggins. The first day was spectacular. The ASBA Diplomates, who all own a 1.5 million dollar plus dental sleep practice, concentrated on helping attendees learn the skills to implement sleep apnea dentistry in their practice and what to do to drive patients through their doors. Every dentist to sit for the exam gives most of the credit to the review course, a one day seminar that uses mock exams and literature reviews to prepare ASBA members to sit for the ASBA diplomacy exam the very next day, for their successful results on the test. The second day exceeded expectations, with NFL legends Jet Stream Roy Green and Derek Kennard sharing their personal stories involving sleep apnea treatment with an oral appliance and where their journeys to spread awareness began. David Gergen, CEO of the ASBA, delivered a presentation showing that ASBA diplomates have the opportunity to develop a working relationship with local NFLPA chapters through Pro Player Health Alliance in a program proven to successfully market your dental sleep practice regardless of where you are located in the country. If you missed out on the most recent study club, you can mark your calendar for February 24-25 and attend the next study club being held by the ASBA. You won’t want to miss out on an opportunity to sit with and learn from the top dentists in the industry. Dr. Rod Willey, Dr. Kevin Mueller, Dr. Larry Tilley and Dr. Paul Vanwalleghem won’t only give you clinical education, they will provide you with information that will take you and your office to the next level. Register for the most vital, essential & powerful dental sleep learning event you’ll ever attended as soon as possible before all spots are filled again.