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Opening Airways. Changing Lives 

Revolutionize Your Sleep: Dental Treatment for Sleep Apnea in Rockville, MD

Welcome to Breath of Life Dental (BOLD)! We provide sleep apnea treatment for you and your family in Rockville, MD, and the surrounding neighborhoods. 


If you've ever suffered from a sleepless night, you know how stressful that can be on your body and mind. Lack of deep, restful sleep can cause untold medical problems in your body and drastically reduces your quality of life. 


People with sleep apnea are dealing with poor-quality sleep every single day—and many don't even realize it! We substitute with coffee and soldier on, even as the medical issues start piling up, and we feel worse and worse. 


At BOLD, we think you deserve a great night's sleep! And we'll work with you to develop a sleep apnea treatment plan that ensures you get the rest and relaxation you need for a happy, healthy life. 

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a term for sleep disorders that affect your ability to breathe properly throughout the night. These sleep disorders cause you to stop breathing randomly while you are asleep. You may not even realize it happens! 


Sleep apnea can negatively affect your quality of sleep and cause other serious medical problems if it's left untreated. Thankfully, there are treatments available. And at Breath of Life Dental in Rockville, we can even help you prevent sleep apnea in the first place!


Types of Sleep Apnea

There are three main types of sleep apnea:

  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea

    When the muscles at the back of your throat relax too much when you're asleep, it's called obstructive sleep apnea. This is because those muscles help to keep your airway open enough for you to breathe properly. If they relax too much, your airway gets closed off. You'll wake up with a choke or gasp, and most people fall back asleep without remembering. But this can happen dozens of times per hour, and it keeps you from getting the deep, restful sleep your body needs each night. 

  • Central sleep apnea

    Your respiratory muscles are meant to run automatically when you're asleep, thanks to signals from your brain. These respiratory muscles include the diaphragm and muscles in your rib cage. When that signal from your brain doesn't come (or if the respiratory muscles ignore it), your breathing stops. This can happen all throughout the night and interrupt your sleep without you knowing. 

  • Complex sleep apnea

    If you are being treated for obstructive sleep apnea, you may develop complex sleep apnea (also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea). In simple terms, you end up developing central sleep apnea during your treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. So while your airway may now be properly open, your body stops breathing throughout the night regardless. 

Common Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Worried you might have sleep apnea? The biggest signs are loud snoring and repeatedly waking up during the night; but unless you sleep with another person (who tells you that you snore or wake up gasping for air), you may not realize you have sleep apnea from just those two symptoms. That's why it's important to look at the other symptoms that you can notice on your own.

The most common symptoms are as follows:

Loud snoring

Waking up gasping, choking, or snorting

Difficulty concentrating during the day

Lethargy (feeling very tired or lacking energy)

Dry mouth or sore throat in the morning

Headaches in the morning

Mood changes

Sudden short temper or irritability

Loss of interest in sex (low libido)

Insomnia (difficulty staying asleep)

Temporomandibular joint disorders (the joints where your jaw connects to your skull, in front of your ears)

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. You can also take our online assessment to determine if you are at risk of obstructive sleep apnea.

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Ed's Story, 

"Sleep Apnea & CPAP"

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Sleep Apnea Risk Factors

There are several factors that can increase your risk of developing sleep apnea. For the obstructive sleep condition, these include: 

Obesity, especially with excess weight around your neck

A genetically smaller airway

Family history

Age (more common in older adults)

Gender (men are two - three times more likely to have sleep apnea than women)

Smoking (makes you three times more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea)

Using alcohol, sedatives, or other relaxing substances (like sleep medicine)

In addition to age and gender (as above), the following symptoms can increase your risk of developing the central sleep condition:

Having congestive heart failure

Using narcotic pain medications

Having a stroke

Breath of Life Dental: Your Solution for Sleep Apnea & Sleep Disordered Breathing

Dr. Maryam Seifi founded Breath of Life Dental (BOLD) in Bethesda, MD, to alleviate the substantial ill-effects of obstructive sleep apnea and sleep-disordered breathing with Oral Appliance Therapy and the Vivos Biometric Oral Appliance. Dr. Seifi is dentist with over thirty years in private practice and a diplomate from the American Sleep and Breathing Academy. 


The Vivos appliance is the result of years of research into the causes of apnea and how it can be reversed. The outcome of this research was the development of an oral appliance that actually sculpts and reshapes the bones of the mouth and jaws. As these bones adapt to their new shapes, each patient’s airway opens more fully, even during sleep. 


What makes the Vivos appliance even more remarkable is that it reshapes the oral and facial bones of fully-grown adults of virtually any age. It also yields powerful results for children.

Get Answers About Sleep Apnea

Childhood Sleep Apnea

Even though being older is a risk factor for developing sleep apnea, that does not mean that children are at no risk. In fact, the vast majority of children with sleep apnea are misdiagnosed with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders—when the real problem is that they aren't getting consistent, restorative sleep!


Children can have the same symptoms of sleep apnea as adults, as well as:

Trouble wetting the bed

Underweight or stunted growth

Trouble focusing in school

Behavioral issues

Chronic or repeated illnesses

If you are worried about your child, take our helpful assessment to determine whether they may be at risk of sleep apnea. 

couple sleeping in bed

  • How Can I Get Diagnosed with Sleep Apnea?

    If you think you might have sleep apnea, you should ask your primary care provider for a referral to an accredited sleep center to get an official diagnosis. This will involve staying overnight at a sleep center to have your breathing and other important body functions monitored while you sleep. 


    If you are diagnosed, we can help! Visit Breath of Life Dental to begin your sleep apnea treatment. You can also take our handy quiz to help determine if you are at risk for sleep apnea!

  • What If I Don't Get Treated for Sleep Apnea?

    If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, it's very important that you start treating it. Delaying your treatment can result in more serious medical complications, such as: 



    High blood pressure


    Liver problems


    Heart problems (heart attack, stroke)


    Type 2 diabetes


    Metabolic syndrome



    Even if you don't end up developing one of these serious conditions, you should still get treated for your sleep apnea as soon as possible—if for no other reason than so you can get a good night's sleep! 

Request a Consultation

Let's Find the Best Way to Get You Started
Breathing & Sleeping Better 

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Would you like to know if you have  Sleep Apnea?

We invite you to complete an online quiz to learn if you have symptoms of Sleep Apnea (obstructive sleep apnea or sleep-disordered breathing).
Begin Quiz
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Would you like to 
attend a FREE
Educational Seminar

Breath of Life Dental offers a free educational workshop seminar on Sleep Apnea, Sleep Disordered Breathing & their related symptoms in children and adults. 
Find Out About Seminars
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Would you like to 
schedule a consultation?

We also offer one-on-one consultations. Schedule your consultation right now to learn more about how Obstructed Breathing might be affecting you or your family's health
Book A Consultation

Concerned You Will Develop Sleep Apnea?

There is one more group that can benefit from the Vivos Biometric Oral Appliance: those whose oral structure will cause sleep apnea in the future. 
These fortunate individuals can act now to prevent the harmful effects of this sleep disorder.
Learn More About PREVENTING Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea Treatment in

North Bethesda, MD 20852

At Breath of Life Dental (BOLD), it's our mission to improve lives in our community through education, treatment, and prevention of sleep-disordered breathing. Dr. Maryam Seifi founded BOLD to bring the latest technology to our community:  the incredible Vivos System. 


The Vivos System is a revolutionary obstructive sleep apnea treatment that requires no surgery. This amazing treatment has delivered life-changing results to countless others in the Rockville, MD area. Schedule your appointment today to see what the Vivos System can do for you!

Ready to Make an Appointment?

We're ready, too! We want to help you achieve a higher quality of life, and that starts with better quality sleep. 


All you have to do is call our office at (301) 818-2653 to schedule your consultation with Dr. Maryam Seifi, or fill out this form to reach us online. 


Our friendly team will be happy to help set up your appointment for the date and time that works best for you.