“The dentist might just save your sleep—and your life.”
We know that sounds dramatic. But for people suffering from sleep apnea, it’s not far from the truth.
Sleep apnea is one of the most common, underdiagnosed, and potentially dangerous health conditions affecting millions of people every year. It disrupts sleep, contributes to heart disease, increases stroke risk, and steals energy and clarity from everyday life. Most people assume that only sleep doctors deal with sleep apnea. But increasingly, dental professionals are stepping into a crucial role—identifying airway issues early and helping patients find real, lasting solutions.
That’s where dental sleep medicine comes in.
At Ohl Practice Consulting, we help dental teams implement dental sleep medicine services—because when done right, they change lives. This guide will walk you through what dental sleep medicine is, how it works, why it matters, and how to bring it into your practice in a way that’s smart, ethical, and sustainable.
Let’s begin.
What Is Dental Sleep Medicine?
Dental sleep medicine focuses on the recognition, referral, and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing—particularly obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)—using oral appliance therapy and collaborative care models. It’s not just a new service line; it’s a specialized branch of dentistry that directly impacts a patient’s systemic health.
OSA happens when the muscles in the back of the throat relax during sleep, causing the airway to narrow or collapse. This results in breathing pauses, loud snoring, restless sleep, and frequent awakenings—sometimes dozens or even hundreds of times each night. The result? Disrupted sleep cycles, low oxygen levels, and increased strain on the heart, brain, and immune system.
Dentists trained in sleep medicine can’t diagnose sleep apnea themselves—but they can screen for it, refer patients for testing, and, once diagnosed, provide oral appliance therapy as a non-invasive alternative to CPAP.
That collaboration between dental teams and sleep physicians is what defines dental sleep medicine. It’s proactive. It’s collaborative. And it’s growing.
Why Dentists Are Uniquely Qualified
Think about what a dentist sees every day: the tongue, jaw alignment, palate shape, breathing patterns, and signs of clenching or grinding. All of these can be indicators of a compromised airway.
Unlike primary care physicians, who may only see patients once a year, dentists often see their patients multiple times annually. That consistent access creates an incredible opportunity to recognize symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing early—before the patient ends up with high blood pressure, insulin resistance, or full-blown exhaustion.
Signs like a scalloped tongue, small airway, narrow dental arches, or bruxism can be red flags. So can things like loud snoring, morning headaches, and reports of fatigue. Dental teams can bring these clues together and start a conversation that patients may have never had before.
At Ohl, we help practices integrate that conversation naturally—into hygiene visits, health history reviews, and exam discussions. It’s not about selling. It’s about serving. And when done with integrity and empathy, it’s incredibly effective.
The Sleep Apnea Diagnosis Process
So how does diagnosis actually happen?
Once a dental team suspects a patient may have sleep apnea, the next step is guiding them to complete a sleep study. This can be done through a home sleep test (HST) or a traditional in-lab polysomnography (PSG). The dentist doesn’t order or interpret the test—the sleep physician does—but the dental team plays a vital role in initiating the referral, coordinating care, and supporting the patient through the process.
After diagnosis, the physician may recommend a CPAP machine—or refer the patient back to the dentist for oral appliance therapy, especially if the apnea is mild to moderate, or if the patient is CPAP-intolerant.
This back-and-forth communication between the dental and medical teams is the heart of dental sleep medicine. Without it, treatment stalls. With it, patients get results.
Oral Appliance Therapy: A Powerful Alternative to CPAP
CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is incredibly effective. But let’s be honest—it’s not for everyone.
CPAP machines require nightly use of a mask that delivers pressurized air to keep the airway open. While some patients adapt well, many struggle. Discomfort, dry mouth, nasal congestion, noise, and the feeling of being “tethered” to a machine are common complaints. The compliance rate is low. Some estimates suggest that nearly half of all CPAP users stop using their machines within the first year.
Oral appliance therapy offers a different approach. These devices are custom-fitted by the dentist and worn like a retainer or mouthguard during sleep. They reposition the lower jaw slightly forward to keep the airway open.
Patients often love them because they’re small, silent, portable, and easy to wear. They don’t require electricity, straps, or hoses—and many patients report better sleep, reduced snoring, and improved daytime energy within weeks of starting treatment.
Dentists who offer appliance therapy aren’t just making devices—they’re providing long-term care, including appliance titration, follow-ups, and, ideally, post-treatment sleep studies to ensure effectiveness.
Building a Dental Sleep Medicine Workflow
Bringing dental sleep medicine into a practice isn’t about adding a few products to your shelves—it’s about changing the way you think about airway health.
A successful workflow includes screening, documentation, patient education, physician collaboration, medical billing systems, appliance selection, titration protocols, and follow-up plans. It sounds like a lot, but with the right guidance, it becomes a powerful part of your patient care model.
At Ohl Practice Consulting, we help teams build that infrastructure in a way that feels aligned with their existing culture. No gimmicks. No pressure. Just smart systems that work.
We also help teams stay compliant. Dental sleep medicine falls under medical billing—not dental—and it’s governed by a different set of rules. From coding to case presentation to physician communications, we make sure practices are protected, informed, and ready to succeed.
Patient Experience: What It Looks Like
From the patient’s perspective, dental sleep medicine often begins with a conversation during a routine cleaning or exam. Maybe the hygienist notices signs of bruxism. Maybe the patient mentions waking up tired, no matter how much sleep they get. The provider asks a few gentle questions and introduces the idea of airway screening.
From there, the patient may complete a brief questionnaire or be referred for a sleep study. If diagnosed with sleep apnea, the dentist offers an oral appliance as a treatment option—and walks the patient through how it works.
The process is educational and empowering. Patients don’t feel sold to—they feel supported. They begin to understand that their snoring isn’t just annoying—it’s a medical issue. They start connecting the dots between their symptoms and their health. And they start getting better.
