About Us

3D Sleep Institute has been providing training programs in oral appliance therapy for snoring, sleep apnoea and bruxism for dentists and their teams throughout Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Asia since 2005.

The program is strongly evidence-based, and highly practical, with the goal of enabling dentists to make oral appliance therapy an integral part of their practice.

Based on a large body of evidence, mandibular advancement splints are now firmly established as one of only two treatments for sleep apnoea, and the best available treatment for snoring, and there is now a large demand for dentists to provide this service.

The Team

Dr Harry Ball

Dentist

BDSc LDS (Melb) M Counselling (Latrobe) Grad Dip Counselling & HS (Latrobe)
Fellow of Dental Sleep Medicine (ASA)
Past Co-Chair Dental Sleep Council, Australasian Sleep Association, FDSM

Publications

Kennedy, Gerard & Ball, Harry. (2007). Power break: A brief hypnorelaxation program to reduce work-related fatigue and improve work satisfaction, productivity, and well-being. Australian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. 35. 169-193. 
Dr Ball left his general practice in Melbourne to work at the TMD clinic at the Royal Melbourne Dental Hospital. It was there that he started to see patients with snoring, sleep apnoea and TMD. In 2005 Dr Ball started Australia’s only dedicated dental sleep clinic, SleepWise Clinic.

The clinic has now treated over 16,000 patients with oral appliances for snoring sleep apnoea and bruxism. The patients are referred by sleep physicians, GP’s, ENT’s and other dentists. 

Dr Ball is passionate about education and has presented seminars for the Australian Dental Association, the Australian Orthodontic Society, the Australian Sleep Association and Dental Health Services. He has also presented training seminars on dental management of sleep disorders to dentists in the United Kingdom, Holland, Belgium, Singapore and Malaysia.

He has also been involved in training programs for medical practitioners and trainee sleep physicians. Dr Ball is a past co-chair of the Dental Sleep Medicine division of the Australasian Sleep Association. He presented on dental sleep medicine at several Australian Dental Congresses and has recently passed the examination in the Fellowship of Dental Sleep Medicine in Australia.

Dr Sam Talpis

Dentist

BOH. DSc(QLD), G.Dip Dent (QLD) PG Dip Dental Implantology (CSU)
Fellow of Dental Sleep Medicine (ASA)
Dr Talpis completed his dental degree in Queensland graduating with a Bachelor of Oral Health and a Graduate Diploma of Dentistry. He has a special interest in dental sleep medicine and temporomandibular disorders.

Dr Talpis has completed a Craniofacial pain clinical residency program at the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain in the USA, a Sleep Residency in San Diego and has recently passed the examination in the Fellowship of Dental Sleep Medicine in Australia.

Working in close conjunction with sleep physicians, ENT surgeons and sleep psychologists, Dr Talpis believes the quality of your sleep has a dramatic impact on your health, well-being and overall quality of life.

Dr Ken Lee

Dentist

BHSc (Dent), MDent (LaTrobe), GDipOrth (JCU)
Fellow of Dental Sleep Medicine (ASA)
Co-Chair Dental Sleep Council, Australasian Sleep Association
Dr Lee has a Master’s degree in Dentistry, a Graduate Diploma in Orthodontics and has recently passed the examination in the Fellowship of Dental Sleep Medicine in Australia. He has limited his practice to the field of dental sleep medicine and is a clinical director at SleepWise Clinic.

He utilises the latest clinical protocols and proven research to provide the most effective treatment, he believes in the importance of working closely as a multi-disciplinary team with Sleep Physicians and ENTs.

With a Masters of Dentistry, years of private practice experience and has been an active member of the Royal Flying Doctors Service, Dr Lee is passionate about improving health outcomes of patients with leading technology in the field of snoring and sleep apnoea.

Dr Lee has a strong focus on helping people prioritise their wellbeing and health and constantly aims to deliver treatment with integrity, respect, comfort and care.

The Advisory Panel

Dr Marcus McMahon

Sleep Physician
Dr McMahon graduated from Melbourne University in 1995 and is a Respiratory and Sleep physician obtaining his Fellowship in 2003. He practices at the Epworth Hospital in Richmond and works for the Victorian Respiratory Support Service —a statewide specialist program—based at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne.

Dr McMahon specialises in the full range of sleep disorders, including sleep apnoea and respiratory failure. He has expertise in the diagnosis and management of disorders of excessive daytime sleepiness—including narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia—as well as parasomnias, insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders and sleep-related movement disorders.

Dr McMahon holds a Master’s degree in Medical Education and has been an active member of several committees for the Australasian Sleep Association and the Royal Australian College of Physicians, where he’s been a fellow since 2003. Dr McMahon is one of the reporting physicians for 3D Sleep Diagnostics.

Mr Eduard Pudel

Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist
Mr Pudel is an ENT surgeon with a special interest in the management of sleep-disordered breathing. He has extensive experience in training dentists and is involved in the mentoring and training of medical students at Monash University.

Mr Pudel has public appointments with Southern Health and Melbourne Health and is a lecturer and examiner for the University of Melbourne and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Prof. Gerard Kennedy

Clinical Psychologist
Prof. Kennedy is a clinical psychologist with expertise in the diagnosis and psychological treatment of sleep disorders. He has developed expertise in sleep psychology during more than 20 years of practice as a senior clinical psychologist in the Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at both the Austin Hospital and Monash Medical Centre.

Professor Kennedy has extensive experience in training dentists, doctors and psychologists in the management of sleep disorders.