The DOC Podcast

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:
  • (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

What is The DOC Podcast?

The DOC Podcast brings you unique educational content taught by Dr. Mike DeLuke, a Board Certified Orthodontist with over 20 years of clinical and academic experience. Dr. DeLuke built his orthodontic practice from scratch in the early 2000s and grew it into a multimillion-dollar enterprise in less than 10 years. He was able to retire from his private practice at the age of 46 years old, and now devotes his energy to teaching his colleagues how to succeed both personally and professionally. He also provides locum tenens coverage for colleagues in South Florida.

Dr. DeLuke has served as a faculty member at numerous hospitals and orthodontic residency programs around the country, including as the cleft craniofacial orthodontist at Albany Medical Center in New York, and as a clinical professor at The University of Connecticut in the Department of Orthodontics. He is presently an adjunct professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Healthcare Network and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Orthodontics at Montefiore Einstein Hospital in the Bronx.

The DOC Podcast will bring you in-depth discussions and interviews with industry leaders and experts on a variety of topics, including clinical excellence, practice management, finance and wealth creation, health and wellness, taxes and accounting, fitness, and much more!