Dr. Bare was born and raised in Louisville, Ky, and attended both Butler and Western High School. Upon graduation from Western in 1972, he attended the University of Kentucky and graduated in 1976, and then enrolled in the University of Louisville's MAT (Masters in Arts and Teaching) Program from 1976 to 1978. At this time he was accepted into the University of Louisville School of Dentistry and graduated with his DMD in May of 1982. For the next few years he practiced general dentistry in the Shively and Downtown areas of Louisville, until he and his wife/family relocated to Nashville, TN., in 1986.
It was during the next few years that he was introduced to treating patients with TMD (Temporomandibular Dysfunction), and later was accepted into the University of Kentucky's Chronic Orofacial Pain Program. Upon completion of the advanced training, he obtained his Diplomate status from the American Board of Orofacial Pain in 1994, and continued treating patients with chronic pain and TMD in Nashville for many years. His interest in higher learning continued with advanced continuums and he began offering other treatment modalities including Invisalign, Botox, Dermal fillers, laser, implants and esthetics / SmileDesign and Enhancements.
In 2001, he returned to the Greater Louisville / Southern Indiana area and became a partner in a large cosmetic, sedation and TMD facility. In 2010, he was offered and accepted a position of Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Division of General Dentistry at Vanderbilt University, where he remained until 2016. In January of 2016, he returned to private practice and was first introduced into the field of sleep-related breathing disorders (ie: snoring and sleep apnea) and how dentists who were well trained in "dental sleep medicine" could work in conjunction with board certified sleep physicians and various other medical specialists, and help patients* suffering from this often undiagnosed and frequently overlooked problem.
Dr. Bare has been involved in numerous professional organizations over his 40 year career, including local, state and national associations and study groups, and is currently a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the International Academy of Sleep (IAOS). He and his wife / daughter have served on various foreign medical and dental mission trips to Africa, Guatemala, and Brazil, and enjoy traveling, listening to Christian talk-radio and music, flying (private pilot - single engine land), reading, and being around both grandkids.
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*NOTE: Comorbidities (health related disease and illnesses) often associated with sleep-related breathing disorder (ie: sleep apnea) include high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and heart arrhythmias including A. fib, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, excessive daytime sleepiness, and mood disturbances. These are all additive in nature, and left untreated can contribute to or cause premature death. Some famous personalities that have died from sleep apnea include Carrie Fischer (Princess Leia of Star Wars), John Candy (comedic actor), Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead front man), President William Howard Taft, NFL player Reggie White, and it is believed that Supreme Court Justice Anton Scalia died from sleep apnea.
Living celebrities presently battling sleep apnea include comedians Rosie O'Donnell and Roseanne Barr, Texas Governor Rick Perry, basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, NFL quarterbacks Brett Favre and JaMarcus Russell, TV personality Regis Philbin, Star Trek icon William Shatner, Daniel Lawrence Whitney (aka: Larry the Cable Guy), musician and American Idol judge Randy Jackson, and musical legend Quincy Jones.