About this episode

Dr. Mike DePascale shares his journey from severe sleep apnea to advocating for airway-focused orthodontic care.

Episode Summary Dr. Mike DePascale is a Connecticut-based orthodontist and co-owner of a multi-location practice with his partner and mentor, Dr. Jeff Kozlowski. In this episode, Dr. DePascale shares his remarkable personal journey from suffering severe obstructive sleep apnea in his early 20s and undergoing orthognathic surgery to becoming a passionate advocate for airway-focused, early-interceptive orthodontic care. The conversation covers the philosophy behind their thriving partnership, why airway is still woefully undertaught in residency programs, how to practically integrate early airway-focused treatment into a busy practice, the critical role of interdisciplinary collaboration, and what it takes to maintain peak fitness while building a career and a family. This is a conversation about so much more than teeth, it's about breathing, thriving, and never settling. Timestamps 0:00 — Introduction to The DOC Podcast and Dr. Mike DePascale 10:57 — Dr. DePascale's origin story: cold-calling medical offices to find his path 12:30 — Diagnosed with severe sleep apnea in his 20s: 3 car accidents, 2–4 hours of sleep a night 15:30 — Choosing orthognathic surgery over CPAP — and how it…

People in this episode

Guest: Dr. Mike DePascale

Topics covered

• orthodontics
• airway-focused treatment
• mentorship
• interdisciplinary collaboration
• personal journey
• sleep apnea
• practice partnership

Keywords

• orthodontics
• airway
• sleep apnea
• mentorship
• orthognathic surgery
• early-interceptive care
• interdisciplinary collaboration

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Connecticut

More episodes of The DOC Podcast

• Should 3D/CBCT Imaging be the Standard of Care in Orthodontics? (w/Dr. Dania Tamimi) [Ep.158] · May 28, 2026 · 1h 29m
• The Good, Bad, & Ugly of the AAO White Paper Update on SDB and Orthodontics [Ep.156] · May 14, 2026 · 1h 30m

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