Hello AirSync

Meet Dr. Santiago

Dr. Kimberly Santiago was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brandeis University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She spent a year skiing the slopes of Colorado and then moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington School of Dentistry. Dr. Santiago was the top-ranked female dental student, graduated third in her class, was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon dental honors society and received just about every possible award University of Washington School of Dentistry gives out annually. Her free time is spent as Supermom to Simona, Alessandro, and Eliana. Dr. Santiago enjoys family time, lazy weekends, culinary arts, traveling, skiing, and binge-watching awesome shows.

Dr. Santiago is earnestly committed to helping enrich and improve the lives of her patients. She firmly believes in healing the patient by treating the root cause of disease/health problems, rather than treating symptoms.  This integrative wellness model is a departure from conventional medicine and dentistry; it looks for and treats the smoke before the fire. Every individual deserves to have the option to heal themself. Dr. Kimberly has developed one of the first all-encompassing airway-centric dental practices in which a patient receives a global diagnosis and comprehensive treatment options to help restore them to health, functionally and structurally, and for the long-term.  She believes every individual deserves to make the choice to be the best version of themself.

Not only does Dr. Kimberly Santiago take 200-300 hours of continuing education each year, but she also is passionate about educating the community at large about the omnipresent nature of dysfunctional breathing, dysfunctional sleep, tongue-tie, and underdeveloped jaws. She spends many hours monthly instructing speech language therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, lactation consultants, pediatricians, sleep physicians (and more) on how to identify children and adults who are showing the smoke signals for impaired breathing and sleep.  She believes that we can make an impact on humanity and significantly reduce the rates of chronic disease. 

Education, Continuing Education, Lectures, Special Invite Meetings

• Dr. Kimberly Santiago: Brandeis University - BA Psychology, 2000

• University of Washington School of Dentistry, 2005

• Kois Center Graduate - 2010

• Pikos Implant Institute - 2011, 2012, 2014

• Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique - 2015

• Tufts University Infant Tethered Oral Tissues Training - 2016

• Bale Doneen Preceptorship - 2017

• Airway Collaborative Airway Mini-Residency (AMR) - 2018

• MyoBrace Activities Group/Member - since 2018

• Airway Collaborative Airway Mini-Residency 2.0 - 2020

• The Breathe Institute Functional Frenuloplasty and Sleep Course TBI Ambassador Distinction - 3/2018, 7/2019, 11/2019, 2/2022, 11/2023

• Surgically Facilitated Orthodontic (SFOT) training with Dr. Rick Roblee - 2018, 2020

• SFOT Personal Mentorship with Dr. Rick Roblee, 2020 - 2022

• ALF Education with Dr. Ljuba Lemke- 2019, 2021

• Training with Dr. Steve Galella of The Facial Beauty Institute - 2019, 2020

• MARPE/MSE/DOME with Dr. Audrey Yoon - 2/2020

• MARPE/MSE education with Dr. Marianna Evans - 5/2020

• Vitamin D RightSleep Protocol Clinical Training with Dr. Stasha Gominak

• MARPE/MSE education with Dr. Won Moon - 2020, 2021

• University of Kentucky College of Dentistry TMJ Mini-Residency 2020

• ASAP Pathway (Airway, Sleep, & Pediatrics) Founding Member, since 2020

• Postural Orthodontics Advanced Continuum and personal mentorship with Dr. Simon Wong - 2020, 2021

• MARPE/MSE education with Dr. Won Moon - 2020, 2021

• Homeoblock Personal Mentorship with Dr. Ted Belfor 2020, 2021

• ALF InterFACE Academy Advanced Continuum w. Darick Nordstrom: ALF Foundations, ALF Genesis, ALF Grow, ALF Guide Courses 2022

• BabyLase/OraLase Training 2022

• Periodontal-Orthodontics Beyond The Limits with DSD and Dr. Todd Scheyer - 2021

• MARPE Advanced Education with Dr. Richard Ting 2021

• Digital Smile Design Residency I — 2021

• AIR Institute Mini Residency Part 1 — 2021

• NightLase, NaseLase, SmoothLase, TonsilLase Training w. Fotona 2021.

• Motor Nerve Reflex Testing - Dr. Steve Olmos — 2021

• MARPE w. Dr. Ilya Lipkin 3/2022

• AIR Mini Residency Part 2 - Dallas, TX, 4/2022 Guest Lecturer

• Early Intervention Orthodontics Part 1 w. Dr. Courtney Lavigne, 2022

• AIR Mini Residency 2 - NYC, 10/2023 Guest Lecturer

• Advanced MARPE w. Dr. Ilya Lipkin 10/2022

• TMJ and Orthodontics w. Dr. Ilya Lipkin, 3/2023

• Early Intervention Orthodontics Part 2 w. Dr. Courtney Lavigne, 9/2023

• Advanced MARPE and Complication Management w. Dr. Ilya Lipkin, 10/2023

• BreathRx Meeting of the Masterminds - Cornell U., 10/2023 Guest Lecturer and Clincial Advisor.

• Chirodontics: TMJ, Cranial, and Occlusal Concepts Part 1 w. Dr. Bob Walker 10/2023

• The Breathe Institute Ambassador Update - The MOST current tongue-tie protocols were taught at this course - 11/2023

• Beyond Periodontal Orthodontic Limits w. Drs. T. Scheyer, A. Yoon, M. Evans, & D. Alfi 1/2024

• Chirodontics: TMJ, Cranial, and Occlusal Concepts Part 2, March 2024.

• BabyLase / OraLase Update 5/2024

• Dr. Karen Parker Davidson Private Course (by invitation only) - 4 Phase Rhinomanometry Nasal Function Metrics for Precise and Optimal Airway Treatment Outcomes - May, 2024.

• C-GASP Task Force Member - building a validated parental questionnaire to efficiently identify children at risk/unidentified with breathing disordered sleep

• Functional Approach to Sleep Medicine w. Dr. Bob Walker, August 2024

• Applied Integration Academy (AIA) The Body and The Bite, October 2024

• Orofacial Recovery Institute: Orofacial Pre-habilitation and Rehabilitation with Lymphatic Drainage and Scar Tissue Mitigation (for the tongue-tie patient, TMJ patient, pre-/post jaw surgery) w. Rebecka Clark, RDH, LMT, CSOM, October 2024

Affiliations / Memberships

Children’s Airway First Foundation (CAFF) Advisory Board, The Infant and Toddler Clinical Advisor
ASAP Pathway, Founding Member AAPMD: American Academy of Physiological Medicine and Dentistry, General —Member and Community Liaison, Seattle Chapter
The Breathe Institute Ambassador, 5x Participant (most current 11/2023)
World Detofacial Sleep Society - Active Member Kois Center Graduate, 2010
Airway Collaborative Airway Mini Residency Graduate - 2x American Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine: Active Member ICAP: International Consortium of Oral Ankylofrenula Professionals, Active Member since 2018
MyoBrace Membership Program, 2018
Foundation for Airway Health
Weston A. Price Foundation Airway Circle Member ADA/WSDA/SKCDS: American Dental Association, Washington State Dental Association, Seattle King County Dental Society
AGD: American Academy of General Dentistry
AAOSH: American Academy of Oral and Systemic Health Member

“My experience with Dr. Kimberly and her staff have been nothing but amazing. She released my daughter's lip and tongue tie under GA at 11 months old. That same day my daughter could latch perfectly. She is now able to eat food without gagging and is such a quiet sleeper. Prior to seeing Dr. Kimberly, I took my daughter to see two different Drs for her lip and tongue. The first doctor, almost damaged her salivary gland and the second used a laser. My daughter still wasn’t gaining weight, and crying non-stop. Lactation Consultants saying I had a low milk supply and my baby was just lazy. I was breastfeeding, bottle feeding, pumping, you name it. I even took my daughter to a feeding specialist at the children’s hospital and they said she didn’t have a tongue tie and because she has teeth now, there is nothing I can do. I struggled for 11 months. I made the mistake by not doing enough research on the previous Drs who do tongue revisions. Let me save you time, money, and heartache. Just see Dr. Kimberly.”

—Verified Patient 2020