Tragedy, Resilience, and a Mission to Transform Orthodontics (w/Dr. Bret Christensen) [Ep.175]

Dr. Bret Christensen is an Army veteran, orthodontist, and one of only five orthodontists in the country board-certified in sleep medicine through the American Sleep & Breathing Academy. He owns and operates Christensen Orthodontics with locations in Lewiston, Grangeville, and Moscow, Idaho. In this emotional and wide-ranging episode, Bret opens up about losing his son, surviving a widow-maker heart attack at 45, undergoing open-heart surgery and getting a pacemaker, all while transforming his practice from traditional extraction-based orthodontics to a data-driven, airway-focused approach. 

He shares thousands of patient records showing that skeletal expansion dramatically improves nasal airway volume, his discovery that toddlers as young as two-and-a-half can be treated, and why he believes the AAO is standing in the way of progress. Plus, a surprise visit from his granddaughter Everly - the child who changed everything.

⏱️ Timestamps / Chapters

0:00 — Cold Open
0:13 — Introduction & Guest Bio
2:53 — Farm Kid Roots & Education
7:16 — Military Career & Orthodontics
11:32 — Building a Practice from Scratch
13:48 — The Shift from Extraction to Expansion
17:05 — Discovering Sleep Apnea Through His Father
21:02 — Surviving a Widow-Maker Heart Attack
25:55 — Training in Sleep Apnea & The Rhinometer
31:35 — Meeting Kevin Boyd & Airway Health Solutions
33:38 — Adult Expansion: Schwartz to MARPE
43:12 — Patient Transformations
56:34 — Host's Reflection on the Journey
68:46 — The AAO Pushback & Speaking Out
78:52 — Everly's Story: Treating Toddlers
89:58 — Orthodontists Need to Become Doctors
1:43:59 — Surprise Visit from Everly
1:49:34 — Closing & What's Next

KEY TOPICS: Early orthodontic intervention • MARPE for adults • Rhinometry data on thousands of patients • Nasal volume changes (3-8 cubic centimeters) • Treating children as young as 2-3 years old • The connection between sleep apnea and heart disease • Overcoming professional opposition • The future of orthodontics

CONNECT:

• Dr. Brett Christiansen - Christiansen Orthodontics (Lewiston, Grangeville, Moscow, ID): https://christensenbraces.com/
• Dr. Mike DeLuke - TheOrthoCoach.com | Dr.mike@theorthocoach.com
• Join The DOC Community on Facebook for more great content and discussions: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Cb9rkQVde/
• Check out the DOC website: https://theorthocoach.com/ 

• (00:00) - Cold Open
• (00:13) - Introduction & Guest Bio
• (02:53) - Farm Kid Roots & Education
• (07:15) - Military Career & Orthodontics
• (11:31) - Building a Practice from Scratch
• (13:47) - The Shift from Extraction to Expansion
• (17:05) - Discovering Sleep Apnea Through His Father
• (21:02) - Surviving a Widow-Maker Heart Attack
• (25:55) - Training in Sleep Apnea & The Rhinometer
• (31:34) - Meeting Kevin Boyd & Airway Health Solutions
• (33:38) - Adult Expansion: Schwartz to MARPE
• (43:12) - Patient Transformations
• (56:33) - Host's Reflection on the Journey
• (01:08:45) - The AAO Pushback & Speaking Out
• (01:18:52) - Everly's Story: Treating Toddlers
• (01:29:58) - Orthodontists Need to Become Doctors
• (01:43:58) - Surprise Visit from Everly
• (01:49:33) - Closing & What's Next