Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Kent Smith.
Dr. Smith, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
A former Eagle Scout, I earned degrees in both biology and accounting, then settled on dentistry as a profession. Soon thereafter, I realized that saving lives and marriages by treating snoring and sleep apnea using my knowledge of the upper airway was more rewarding. As I informally educated many other dentists, this developed into formally training doctors through Institutes, national meetings and many other venues. As President of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy, one of my duties is to get more dentists Board Certified in the practice of dental sleep medicine so that more lives can be saved.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No road is without detours and potholes, but overall, it has been a relatively smooth journey. As a trained dentist, I do struggle at times being fully accepted as part of the medical sleep team, but in general, the medical community has embraced the role of the sleep dentist. Where we do struggle is with individuals who are not trained in the practice of sleep medicine who create companies for the sole purpose of making money using corporate money to advertise. They do not work through the medical community, but instead go to the unknowing public and do not provide adequate care or follow up.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Sleep Dallas – what should we know?
Sleep Dallas provides life-changing treatment options for patients suffering from sleep apnea, as well as other sleep issues such as snoring and persistent fatigue. Sleep Dallas is focused on oral appliance therapy as an alternative to conventional treatment options that many users find to be ineffective.
As a dental sleep medicine specialist and educator, I’d have to say I’m most proud of being part of a movement that is bringing awareness to the prevalence of sleep apnea and other sleep breathing disorders. Sleep issues are truly a public health concern– many traffic accidents and workplace incidents are a direct result of sleep problems, and the list of comorbidities associated with sleep apnea is growing.
When I first started in dental sleep medicine, oral appliance therapy as a viable treatment option for sleep apnea was still relatively new to the medical community. Fortunately, we’re really starting to gain momentum both with the general public, as well as with policymakers in Washington. With more Americans getting properly diagnosed, our job is now to ensure that patients are prescribed the treatment option that best addresses their issue.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
When you practice preventive medicine like we do, success is difficult to
define. However, when we hear our patients talk about sleeping with their partner again or talk about how they no longer fall asleep at the wheel, we call that success!
Contact Info:
- Address: Frisco:
7589 Preston Rd., #400
Frisco, TX 75034Irving:
290 E John Carpenter Fwy., #2700
Irving, TX 75062 - Website: sleepdallas.com
- Phone: 844-409- 4657
- Facebook: facebook.com/SleepDallasDrKentSmith/
- Twitter: twitter.com/thesleepdentist
- Yelp: yelp.com/biz/sleep-dallas-frisco-2
Image Credit:
TNT Dental
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