Episode 156: The Hidden Way Your Teeth Impact Sleep with Dr. Robert Kerstein

In this episode of The Healthy Sleep Revolution, we speak with Dr. Robert Kerstein, prosthodontist and leading authority in computerized occlusal analysis, about how bite alignment and jaw function can interfere with sleep quality. We explore how excessive tooth contact and poor disclusion can overactivate swallowing and airway-related muscles, gradually narrowing the airway and contributing to non-restorative sleep, clenching, grinding, headaches, and facial tension. We also discuss why bite-related sleep issues are so often overlooked in standard dental exams and medical evaluations. Dr. Kerstein explains why primary care providers, neurologists, and even many dentists may miss the connection, and how traditional bite assessment tools fail to capture the timing, force, and friction patterns that drive neuromuscular overload and sleep disruption. Finally, we walk through what patients can do if they experience grinding, jaw soreness, morning headaches, or restless sleep. Dr. Kerstein outlines how computerized bite analysis using T-Scan and EMG can identify whether bite alignment is contributing to symptoms, what the Disclusion Time Reduction process looks like, and why working with a properly trained provider is essential for meaningful, lasting results. What You Will Learn How an unhealthy bite or jaw alignment can interfere with airway function and sleep Why headaches, TMJ symptoms, facial tension, and poor sleep often share a common bite-related cause Why bite problems affecting sleep are frequently missed in dental and medical settings What computerized bite analysis reveals that traditional methods cannot The most important first step in determining whether bite alignment is contributing to sleep disruption About Dr. Robert B. Kerstein Dr. Robert B. Kerstein earned his D.M.D. in 1983 and his Prosthodontic certificate in 1985 from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, where he later served as a clinical professor of Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics for 13 years. Beginning in 1984, he has studied every generation of T-Scan technology, from the original T-Scan I to the current T-Scan 10 Novus, and over the past four decades has become the leading authority in Computerized Occlusal Analysis. Dr. Kerstein has published extensively in leading dental journals and edited nine research volumes on T-Scan applications. A pioneer and academic advocate for digital occlusal technology, he teaches a measured, data-driven approach that improves bite-related treatment outcomes, enhances patient comfort, reduces prosthesis failure and remakes, and shortens overall treatment time. Connect with Dr. Robert B. Kerstein Website: https://www.drrobertkerstein.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-kerstein-dmd-0b01b410/ Resources from Dr. Robert B. Kerstein Handbook of Research on T-Scan Technology Applications in Dental Medicine: https://www.igi-global.com/book/handbook-research-scan-technology-applications/318679 Airway Expansion from DTR Treatment for Healthy Sleep Podcast: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mIqOa4S4SlreoRwLZwLJ6y9I8dq8P4tL/view    About Dr. Meghna Dassani Dr. Meghna Dassani is a high-performance strategist, biologically-driven leadership expert, and award-winning dentist who helps women stop living overwhelmed and start leading with clarity, strategy, and science. For over two decades, she built and scaled a thriving dental practice, became a nationally recognized airway sleep expert, and trained thousands of clinicians across the world. But her deeper calling emerged in the conversations happening behind closed doors — with women doctors who were exhausted, overextended, and silently questioning whether this version of success was worth the cost. Meghna saw a pattern: Burnout wasn't a mindset issue. It was a biology issue. And leadership wasn't a personality trait — it was a learnable system. That's when The Making of Her was born. Today, Meghna blends neuroscience, physiology, business strategy, and real-world leadership to help women doctors and leaders operate at their highest level — without grinding themselves into the ground. Her frameworks support women in making better decisions, executing at a higher level, and reclaiming ownership of their time, energy, and results. Through her mastermind, The Expansion Collective, her newsletter The Audacity Edit, and now The Making of Her Podcast, Meghna is on a mission to give women the tools, language, and systems to rise without burnout — and build the kind of lives they don't need a vacation from. This isn't self-help. This is science-backed leadership for women who are done settling. Meghna lives in Houston with her husband and their two daughters who are her greatest reminders of legacy, courage, and possibility. The Making of Her is where strategy meets real talk. Where biology meets leadership. Where women stop shrinking and start becoming the version of themselves they always knew existed. Welcome home. Connect with Dr. Meghna Dassani Website: https://www.meghnadassani.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthysleeprevolution Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghna_dassani/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@meghna-dassani