Dr. Nick K. Nguyen graduated from the highly acclaimed Doctor of Dental Surgery program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), one of the top dental schools in the United States. He previously received his Bachelors of Science in Biology, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was awarded High Departmental Honors from the UCLA Department of Biology for academics and research work on the human genome project with Dr.Winston Salser, the co-founding president of the biotech company, Amgen. Dr. Nguyen was also inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s oldest Academic Honor Society.
Following his completion of the Doctor of Dental Surgery program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Dr. Nguyen completed the core curriculum at the renowned Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne, Florida. There he studied orofacial pain, temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD), and malocclusion. Dr. Nguyen is currently a faculty club member of the Spear Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he visits as a faculty mentor to other Dentists studying esthetics, function and related topics.
Dr. Nguyen’s journey in Sleep Medicine began while at a seminar with the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain several years ago. He learned of the close association between sleep disorders, orofacial pain, and bruxism. Since then he has completed extensive training in sleep disorders and pain including a Sleep Medicine Residency at UCLA and continuing education with The American College of Chest Physicians. He uses the knowledge he has gained in Medicine to take a total body approach in managing all of his patients. Dr. Nguyen has formed strong alliances with Physicians and other Dental Specialists as he strongly believes in a multidisciplinary approach. He believes that Sleep Medicine is a rapidly evolving field and will change over the next few years with a shift of emphasis to patient outcomes. In addition to learning CPAP, Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT), and Surgery as treatment modalities, Dr. Nguyen has training in Myotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Orthodontic treatment of airway. He believes that the successful treatment of sleep breathing disorders and other comorbidities should be managed individually and patiently through a variety of modalities. Effective treatment and management becomes more complex with a patient’s age, increased BMI, and presence of other illnesses. Combination therapy will be the wave of the future and a one way approach will not work long term for the majority of people. Furthermore, he believes that follow up care is critical for long term management success.
Current Memberships
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine
- American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine
- UCLA Sleep Medicine Residency
- Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
- Pankey Institute for Advanced Education
- Spear Institute for Advanced Education
- Southern California Pankey Study Club
- Newport Harbor Academy of Dentistry (NHAD)
- DOCS Oral Conscious Sedation Gold member
- American Dental Association (ADA)
- California Dental Association (CDA)
- Academy of General Dentistry (AGD)
- Orange County Dental Society (OCDS)
- American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
- UCLA Lifetime Alumni member
