Performance Dentistry: Airway, Sleep, and the NFL with Dr. Chad Kasperowski

By Dr. Reza Ardalan

Dr. Chad Kasperowski is reframing dentistry as a driver of whole‑body wellness and human performance. What started as a traditional path took a sharp turn during his residency at the VA in San Antonio, where exposure to complex cases, IV sedation, surgery, and implants revealed a deeper truth: oral health and systemic health are inseparable. Today, that insight shapes a wellness‑driven approach that blends advanced diagnostics, airway‑focused care, and lessons learned on the sidelines of the NFL.

In this episode of the Dental Slang Podcast, Dr. Kasperowski shares how his philosophy evolved, the tools that power his diagnostics, and what professional sports taught him about inflammation, recovery, and performance. You’ll also hear how curiosity—more than any single technology—became the engine behind better outcomes and more meaningful patient conversations.

Inside the Episode

Dr. Kasperowski describes the early turning point that reshaped his clinical lens: a VA residency that made the mouth‑body connection impossible to ignore. That foundation led him to build a practice where diagnostics go beyond the standard exam and reveal patterns traditional dentistry often misses.

His team integrates nitric oxide testing, salivary diagnostics and oral DNA, vitamin D and biocompatibility screening, and CBCT for airway, TMJ, sinus, and endodontic evaluation. Together, these tools illuminate systemic contributors to oral disease—especially airway issues. Narrow arches, high palates, bruxism, facial structure, and sleep symptoms become signposts, not side notes. And one of his most powerful tools isn’t a device at all: listening deeply to the patient’s story.

We also step onto the NFL sideline, where Dr. Kasperowski has served as the Washington Commanders’ team dentist for over sixteen years. What began as a chance assignment evolved into a core role on a multidisciplinary performance team. Early on, he noticed something surprising: even elite athletes—highly conditioned and pressure‑tested—often lacked consistent oral care, and dental anxiety was common. The bigger realization came next: oral health doesn’t just influence comfort or cosmetics; it can impact performance.

Internal team reviews revealed that players who struggled to recover were more likely to have moderate to severe periodontal disease, chronic oral inflammation, partially impacted third molars, and airway risk factors. Because systemic inflammation lowers the body’s training threshold, unmanaged oral inflammation can slow recovery and blunt performance. Addressing these factors proactively has helped reduce downtime and protect the team’s competitive edge—proof that dentistry belongs squarely in the performance conversation.

The episode also explores mouthguards through a dual lens of clinical science and real‑world sports demands. Comfort and retention drive compliance, and the future is moving fast: AI‑designed, 3D‑printed, and sensor‑enabled guards that could bring continuous feedback into everyday prevention.

Threaded through it all is a simple throughline: curiosity. Dr. Kasperowski didn’t pivot with a single technology or trend. He followed questions, collected patterns, and built systems that help patients feel seen—and perform better—because the diagnosis looks beyond the tooth.

Key Takeaways:

• Wellness dentistry is a mindset, not a specialty.

• Advanced diagnostics (NO testing, salivary/oral DNA, vitamin D, biocompatibility, CBCT) reveal systemic factors shaping oral outcomes.

• Airway issues are everywhere—once you learn to see them, they’re hard to miss.

• Listening often outperforms imaging for uncovering root causes.

• Elite athletes don’t always have elite oral health, and dental anxiety is common.

• Oral inflammation fuels systemic inflammation, slowing recovery and affecting performance.

• Custom mouthguards win on comfort and retention, which drives compliance.

• Youth sports are a major source of dental trauma, especially basketball and soccer.

• The future of mouthguards is digital: AI‑designed, 3D‑printed, and potentially sensor‑enabled.

• Prevention is the best dentistry—from airway intervention to inflammation control to protective gear.

Throughout the episode, Dr. Kasperowski shows how modern dentistry can support the entire body—from sleep and airway to recovery and resilience. When clinicians combine deeper diagnostics with genuine curiosity, dentistry elevates not only smiles, but performance.

This episode is a must‑listen for clinicians interested in wellness‑driven care, airway‑informed diagnostics, and the real‑world intersection of dentistry and human performance. Listen to the full episode.

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