Awaken2Sleep

03/17/2026

The truth about smoking & OSA...

Smokers are 2-3x more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea than non-smokers.

Why? The upper airway edema caused by smoking.

Because of this, smoking needs to be considered when screening for every OSA case. Whether your patient smokes can greatly affect their true diagnosis.

Dr. Mayoor Patel offers some key insights on how to approach cases where the patient is a smoker:

"If a person stops smoking, you can actually get a reverse of the edema, which can take 1-3 months. Wait 3-4 months and then get a follow-up study, and see if there was significant improvement."

This is why patient care isn't linear, and can never be cut & dry. It's not about a perfect system that gets an oral appliance. It's about OUTCOMES.

03/17/2026

𝑾𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑?

PIVOT client Alissa Edwards chimed in after her first Masterclass experience!

Check out Alissa's thoughts & review H-E-R-E👇

https://youtu.be/DTLcIXfrAno

03/16/2026

Did you wake up this morning feeling energized and CREATIVE?

No? 😢

Well maybe it's cause you didn't get a good night of sleep: the Washington Post's Carolyn Y. Johnson shares how your brain's creative juices are all thanks to your sleep.

Check it out 👉 washingtonpost.com/science/2026/02/17/sleep-dreams-creativity-problem-solving/

03/16/2026

WOOT WOOT!!!

We are unbelievably stoked for the next chapter of Masterclass keynote speakers: HANNAH BRENCHER!

The youngest TED speaker ever & a ground-up entrepreneur lauded for her purpose to help people, Hannah's a true inspiration.

She'll be lecturing on maintaing your peace in the pace of your work—don't miss this.

03/13/2026

03/13/2026

Want to know the 🐝 buzz 🐝 on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)?

We gotchu 😎

03/12/2026

PSA (public service announcement): most dental sleep CE education is (a) expensive, (b) boring, and/or (c) not easy to work through with your team.

PSA (PIVOT Sleep Academy): dental sleep CE education that is affordable & easy for you and your entire team.

You'll get access to courses ranging from Screening to Appliance Selection to Post Treatment, from to DSM Marketing, MD Marketing, & Intro to Medical Billing, and so much more!

Only $127/month. Sign up today @ psa.awaken2sleep.com

03/12/2026

When asked about PIVOT and working under Michael Cowen's coaching - Jason Doucette had the most glowing review:

"That's an invaluable resource that you really can't put a price tag on."

Working with A2S in the PIVOT coaching program is the sounding board Dr. Doucette never knew he needed. The wisdom, insight, & perspective that we bring to the table aren't matching by any other DSM coaching program.

For Jason's sleep & TMD practice and dozens of others, PIVOT is a game-changer. See what else he had to say 👇

https://youtu.be/J_XsEfOZXAw

03/11/2026

We were graced by the presence of a good friend & and even better practitioner:

Charles Tozzer, thanks for joining the PIVOT Study Club with a session on rapid titrations!

Faster adjustments.
Clearer patient feedback.
Better OAT outcomes.

By speeding up the process, you cut patient wait times into a fraction of the normal time spent waiting for final treatment to be administered.

That means happier patients & more efficient workflows for your practice.

Thanks Charles for walking the PIVOT community through how to run rapid titration workflows from start to finish!

03/11/2026

TMJ pain. Bruxism. Periodontal disease. 🦷

These aren't just dental issues. It goes deeper than that.

Comorbid symptoms receive dental attention, but the underlying issue remains ignored. 𝑺𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑.

The TMJ pain 56-year-old Barbara has been suffering from for 30 years? It's because her jaw is thrusting forward trying to breathe.

Her bruxism doesn't need a night guard- it needs an MAD to open her airway.

Her periodontal health has been in the gutter because she's missing the salivary melatonin her mouth needs.

These aren't just dental issues. They're impacts of OSA.

The question isn't if these symptoms are presenting in your patients.
The question is: 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝒅𝒐 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕?

03/10/2026

𝑰𝒓𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏

“To become the sleep dentist we all aspire to be, we need to surround ourselves with dentists who are already doing what we want to do. That’s why I come to DSM Masterclass — to be around those people and grow into that kind of practitioner.”

- Dr. Justin Elikofer

A community on the same trajectory your practice is, together with the sole intention of growing together—that's the Masterclass.

Sharpen your practice on the Masterclass knifeblock, get you & your team registered for the 2026 PIVOT Masterclass

🗓️ September 18-19, 2026
📍 Coronado Island, CA

03/10/2026

"I didn't get enough sleep last night" doesn't just mean dragging your feet at work the next day.

The impacts are 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔.

↳ cognitive impairment
↳ worsened mental health, including anxiety & depression
↳ risk of diabetes, heart disease, & stroke
↳ rising cancer risks
↳ weight gain

What can you do to prevent this???

Make your sleep simple.

✔️ Go to bed at consistent times, every night
✔️ Don't overcomplicate your routine - just take the time to wind down (shower, read, etc.)
✔️ If you snore, ask your dentist about your airway

Sleep health can't be ignored. Make it your priority.