Avi Weisfogel has made the remarkable journey from general dentist to a master of dental sleep medicine to founder and leader of the teams at International Academy of Sleep and AB Transitions. His transformation has helped innumerable patients finally find relief from sleep apnea as well as hundreds of dentists run profitable dental sleep practices.
Starting in the Dental Field
Starting his career in 1999 by opening Old Bridge Dental Care after earning his dental degree, Weisfogel made an inauspicious beginning. However, he eventually found his clinic too constraining to practice his true passion, helping his patients to sleep better. While he ran his practice for 15 years, he also became keenly interested in researching sleep problems, building toward his future innovations in sleep dentistry.
Waking Up to the Need for Dental Sleep Medicine
During his tenure running Old Bridge Dental, Avi explored innovative sleep apnea treatments. He learned and applied the traditional and emerging methods, took courses, and became a diplomate. Still, none of these fully translated into his vision of what was possible with a thriving dental sleep practice. He knew that there had to be a way to treat the serious condition of sleep apnea and make a great living as an expert provider. Dr. Weisfogel decided to take matters into his own hands by founding an organization to educate and train dentists in treating sleep apnea.
Identifying the Problems of Sleep Apnea
According to the National Institutes of Health, sleep apnea occurs when breathing stops briefly during sleep, causing brief awakenings. Those who suffer from it have unrestful sleep, which can lead to poor decision-making, behavior issues, and daytime sleepiness.
Tiredness, though, is only part of the problem of sleep apnea. It contributes to feeling sleepy, even when doing dangerous tasks. For instance, sleepy drivers cause up to 100,000 accidents a year, resulting in 1,500 deaths.
Avi Weisfogel understood the seriousness of this condition and knew that he had the means to help patients with it.
Founding of the International Academy of Sleep
Avi acknowledged the need for better care for sleep apnea — and believed that specialized treatments provided by dentists could help patients with the condition. He wanted to help other dentists treat patients and become the experts in sleep apnea treatment in their areas. The solution to help dentists and patients was the founding of the International Academy of Sleep (IAOS).
Avi believed so strongly in his mission that he sold his dental clinic and founded IAOS. Today, IAOS continues his mission of educating other dentists in treating sleep disorders through their dental practices.
As the current CEO of the IAOS, Avi holds a unique, evolving view of what is required for success in sleep dentistry. He brings together the best and the brightest of the dental field with his proprietary techniques in treating sleep conditions to elevate dental practices. His program helps dentists gain the tools and techniques needed to treat sleep conditions and build their practices.
Teaching Dentists to Become Healthcare Entrepreneurs
Today, Weisfogel continues to build up dentists, assist them in creating profitable practices, and help them avoid getting taken advantage of. His latest work gives dentists the tools they need to become healthcare entrepreneurs.
One of the problems Weisfogel saw in the industry was the rapid absorption of smaller clinics by investment companies. Often, these buyouts did not favor the dentists. To combat the issue, Avi created a new entrepreneurial group. Along with Dr. Brady Frank, Weisfogel created Become the DSO, a group that helps dentists improve negotiations with investors when selling their practices. Dentists working with this group can receive more money when selling their practices and remain active within the industry.
In founding this organization, Weisfogel helps other dentists to take charge of their careers and lives as the dental industry changes.
Moving into the Future of Dentistry
Avi Weisfogel continues to make significant impacts on the dental field as the CEO of IAOS and co-founder of Become the DSO. Other dentists take inspiration from Dr. Weisfogel’s story in how they approach their careers and influences in the dental industry.
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