The Truth About Mouth Breathing, Sleep, & Sleep Medicine (w/Dr. Funke Brown) [Ep.170]
The DOC PodcastShow Notes
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Funke Afolabi Brown, a triple board-certified sleep physician, founder of Restful Sleep MD, and best-selling author. We go way beyond the basics of sleep, exploring what "good sleep" actually means, why sleep medicine gets so little attention in physician and dental training, and why that has to change. Dr. Brown and I dig into the full spectrum of sleep-disordered breathing (it's so much more than just obstructive sleep apnea), the strengths and serious limitations of polysomnography versus home sleep testing, and why relying only on the AHI can cause us to miss patients who are genuinely struggling. We also spend a lot of time on the far-reaching effects of poor sleep in kids - behavior, learning, emotional regulation, and how sleep issues so often masquerade as ADHD. We talk candidly about why snoring and chronic mouth breathing should never be treated as "no big deal," why interdisciplinary collaboration between sleep physicians, pediatricians, ENTs, dentists, orthodontists, and myofunctional therapists is essential, and why I'm genuinely optimistic about where sleep medicine is headed. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 — Cold open: sleep's impact on children isn't benign 0:38 — Podcast welcome 1:02 — Guest introduction: Dr. Funke Afolabi Brown 4:20 — Interview begins 5:39 — Dr. Brown's background and path into sleep medicine 7:13 — Sleep education gaps in medical/dental training 10:19 — Defining good sleep: quantity, quality, timing 14:42 — Wearables, sleep tracking, and orthosomnia 20:24 — Acute vs. chronic sleep problems and recovery 26:52 — In-lab polysomnography: strengths and limitations 37:28 — The sleep-disordered breathing spectrum 41:10 — Primary snoring: why it's never normal 46:14 — Allergies, nasal airway, and root causes 48:12 — Chronic mouth breathing debate 54:23 — Why physicians and dentists avoid the topic 1:00:10 — ADHD and sleep-disordered breathing overlap 1:08:57 — Home sleep testing and treatment options 1:09:48 — The future of sleep medicine 1:16:00 — Closing thoughts and where to find Dr. Brown If you found this conversation valuable, please share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, follow DOC Podcast on Instagram, and subscribe to the channel on YouTube so you never miss an episode. LINKS Connect w/Dr. Brown: Website: https://www.restfulsleepmd.com/ Beyond Tired Book: https://a.co/d/2aSRSQt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restfulsleepmd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drfunkebrown/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/funke.afolabibrown/ Register for the In-person Early Treatment Comprehensive: https://www.earlyorthotreatment.com/ The Generational Wealth Code: https://a.co/d/05TlkLJX Join The DOC Community on Facebook for more great content and discussions: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Cb9rkQVde/ Check out the DOC CE Courses: https://theorthocoach.com/ce-courses/ Website: theorthocoach.com YouTube: @theorthocoach Instagram: @theorthocoach Email: [email protected]
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Episode Summary In this episode, I sit down with Dr. German Ramirez for an in-depth conversation about early orthodontic treatment, craniofacial growth and development, bone biology, and the critical role of nasal breathing in facial development. Dr. Ramirez shares his remarkable training journey from Colombia to Australia to Tufts University, his pioneering research on the mandibular condylar cartilage, and his passionate case for treating children early rather than waiting until age seven. We dig into the six dimensions of diagnosis, the connection between bruxism and airway, why AHI is a flawed metric for pediatric sleep-disordered breathing, and how collaborating with ENTs and sleep physicians can transform patient outcomes. This is a must-listen for any orthodontist or dentist who wants to understand the biology behind proactive, functional orthodontic care. Timestamps 0:00 — Introduction & Guest Background Introducing Dr. Ramirez and his credentials. 2:07 — Dr. Ramirez's Training Journey From Colombia to Brazil to early ortho training. 6:25 — Mandibular Condylar Cartilage & Bone Biology Growth potential persists into the 90s. 8:41 — Why Early Treatment Matters Mandible grows more in first five years. 10:55 — Sleep, Breathing & the Orthodontist's Role We normalize anatomy, not treat airway. 15:06 — Responding to "No Need to Treat Before 7" Six-dimension diagnosis vs. isolated single-problem studies. 21:05 — Functional Evaluation: Mouth Breathing & Nasal Breathing Identifying mouth breathers and cellular hypoxia effects. 26:47 — The Tongue as Palatal Expander Nasal breathing first, then tongue positioning. 29:57 — Collaborating with Medical Colleagues CBCT, ENTs, and a cleft palate story. 37:27 — Tonsils, Adenoids & Post-Surgery Relapse Why habits persist and relapse rates soar. 41:38 — AHI Limitations & Study Design Problems AHI is a flawed pediatric sleep metric. 47:47 — Bruxism & Airway Connection Tongue protrusion causes grinding — here's how. 51:47 — Resistance to Change in Orthodontics Technology-driven vs. biologically-driven education disconnect. 56:17 — Genetics vs. Environment in Craniofacial Growth Epigenetics and the genetic window concept. 64:56 — Muscle, Bone & Diet Muscle stimulation drives bone growth over time. 72:02 — Communicating with Child Patients "Nose for breathing, mouth for eating." 81:28 — Closing & Contact Info Books, courses, and upcoming lectures worldwide. LINKS: Airway videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h0JgmmLj_Q&ab_channel=TMJ%26SleepTherapyCentre Dr. Ramirez’ website: https://www.kidsmalocclusions.com/ Pediatric Airway-focused Myofunctional Orthodontics: https://a.co/d/b1wQhD9 Dr. DeLuke’s Early Treatment Course: https://theorthocoach.com/courses/phase-i-arch-development/?portfolioCats=99
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