Tag Archives: case acceptance
DENTISTS STRIKE GOLD IN SAN FRANCISCO
Attending the Sleep Group Solutions‘ training seminar on Sleep Dysfunctions in San Fransisco, a new team of dentists prospected for gold and found it there.
Dr. Marty Lipsey presented a two day comprehensive course which included:
- The science of sleep,
- Identifying the 34% of their patients who were Sleep Apnea victims,
- Patient Education,
- Case Presentation and Treatment Acceptance,
- Understanding and handling the comorbidities,
- Hands-on working with the popular Oral Appliances including TAP, Respire, EMA, Silent Night and others,
- Sleep Apnea Medical Insurance Codes, Fees, Billing Procedures.
These lucky dentists who struck it rich are now able to begin screening and treating their patients who desperately need their help.
Next up in Dental Sleep Medicine courses (16 CEU) :
Pick your expert or city:
10th October 2014 Friday |
11th October 2014 Saturday |
Charleston, SC – Dr. Jeffrey Horowitz |
|
17th October 2014 Friday |
18th October 2014 Saturday |
Washington, D.C. – Dr.George Jones |
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17th October 2014 Friday |
18th October 2014 Saturday |
Portland, OR – Dr. Barry Freydberg | |
24th October 2014 Friday |
25th October 2014 Saturday |
Philadelphia, PA – Dr. Damian Blum |
|
24th October 2014 Friday |
25th October 2014 Saturday |
Dallas, TX – Dr. Marty Lipsey |
|
7th November 2014 Friday |
8th November 2014 Saturday |
Oklahoma City, OK – Dr. Damian Blum |
|
7th November 2014 Friday |
8th November 2014 Saturday |
Atlanta, GA – Dr. Marty Lipsey |
|
14th November 2014 Friday |
15th November 2014 Saturday |
Hollywood, FL – ADVANCED Dr. Dan Tache’ |
|
14th November 2014 Friday |
15th November 2014 Saturday |
Boston, MA – Dr. Barry Freydberg |
Read the course outline, see the speakers and register here to get your gold: http://sleepgroupsolutions.com/2.0/modules/piCal/index.php?smode=&op=&cid=2
The choice is yours; either way, next week YOU WIN!
The winners in this difficult economy will be those Dentists who are able to offer the combination of patient engagement and niche marketing.
On Fri. and Sat., August 15, 16, you can chose between training by two of the most respected Dental Sleep Medicine educators in the nation. Sleep Group Solutions presents:
Dr. Damian Blum in Boston, MA
Dr. Dan Tache’ in Minneapolis, MN
. Those Dentists who convince people that they understand their needs, truly care about them, and have a unique and essential service to offer, will stand out. Patients’ priorities have changed. The money is still there. They are willing and ready to spend money on their priorities.
The current need and “buzz” is in discovering and treating sleep apnea. Patients are asking their Dentists about sleep apnea. How comfortable are YOU with the answers? It is reported that less than 4% of practicing Dentists are able to assist the more than 50 million people who suffer from sleep apnea. There is a growing public awareness of the hazards that come from a nocturnal stoppage of breathing. Your patients are becoming increasingly more concerned about the blockage of oxygen to the brain and other organs. Strokes. Heart attacks. Diabetes. As a Care Giver, think of how you can serve. Serve an unfilled need.
Your patient doesn’t want to buy crowns and fillings. Your patient wants to buy YOU. Once a patient likes you, trusts you, believes in you, and knows you are REALLY concerned about them, they will want to accept your recommendations. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.
Here’s a mnemonic for you to remember:
STAND UP for what you believe in. Be a complete healer.
STAND OUT with a unique and valuable service.
BE OUTSTANDING !
THE TRUTH ABOUT SLEEP APNEA SEMINAR TRAINING
Dental Sleep Medicine: the hottest button in dentistry today.
Awareness of sleep apnea in America is at an all-time peak. People who recognize that they have the symptoms are asking their doctors about it. Every dentist would like to be “The Sleep Dentist”.
Seminars and courses are now available every week, in different cities, throughout the United States. More and more dentists are getting trained to discover the more than 40 million estimated victims of sleep apnea, and to treat them with the most appropriate modalities. Oral appliance therapy (OAT) is the most convenient and preferred therapy for the mild and moderate cases and for those patients who cannot tolerate the CPAP device. Fortunately, this is where The Dentist rides in on a white horse to the rescue. Dentists, we like to say, are on the front line of the battle against sleep apnea. Dentists are in the optimum position to see the signs and symptoms and can offer the most preferred solutions to the problem.
Keys to Success
Success in treatment acceptance and end point attainment varies with, and depends upon, each individual dentist’s determination and his/her patient’s cooperation. The training programs will present the tools, the screening and diagnostic equipment, the techniques, the verbal skills, etc., but as in other health-care therapies, a partnership between the professional provider and the patient is the key to success. The patient’s cooperation is essential. Take periodontal disease therapy (STM or CPT), for example. The dentist and hygienist will remove the disease, teach the patient how to maintain periodontal health, and then monitor the patient’s progress for the patient’s lifetime. Sleep apnea can be considered an episodic disease like periodontal disease, diabetes and cardiac disease. For these there is no cure; only a lifetime of care to keep these diseases under control. Failure of patients to comply will result in an episodic return of the symptoms in any of these cases. Compliance will keep them under control. So that explains the patient’s role in the “partnership for success”.
Why do some dentists take the course, go back to their Practices, “try it” and become discouraged?
And now the dentist’s responsibilities.
In the words of the Great Master Yoda, in the classic Star Wars movies, “There is no ‘try’; there is only ‘do’ or ‘do not’.”
Beginning with the seminar training, the dentist must be 1000% committed to success. (Anything we endeavor will be more likely to be achieved when we are positive that we will win.) The seminar training is only the beginning of the learning process. We must retain what we have learned, continue to study, to research all new ideas and to practice our treatment plan presentations with our teams. Everyone on the team must be skilled and committed.
We must be able to answer these questions:
How do I keep my team motivated and constantly alert to help these patients?
How do find and connect with a certified medical sleep physician?
How do I “sell” my patient on the need for these services?
How do I bill patients and third party benefit payers for my DSM services?
This article did not promise the details of a “How to ….” for a DSM practice. Those answers are available for anyone to find, just as we found the answers to mastering.Perio Hygiene, composites and Smile Enhancements. The point of this article is that the Sleep Apnea training, although essential, is not the end of the education. It is, as Winston Churchill said in 1942 during WWII, “…this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” And THAT is “the truth about sleep apnea training”.
WHAT ARE YOU MISSING IN YOUR NEW PATIENT EXAM THAT CAN HURT YOU?
Dentists are in the first line of discovery and defense of many systemic diseases. We are often the first ones to discover diabetes, sleep apnea and oral cancer. The three serious conditions listed above are all too frequently under-diagnosed. New tools and techniques are now available for dental professionals to be able to do far more as comprehensive caregivers for their patients. An interdisciplinary approach, enabling conferencing and sharing of information between patients' full medical teams will provide the most reliable diagnosis and optimal treatment. Oral Cancer Screening -Oral cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer. -It can form in any part of the mouth or throat. -Most oral cancers begin in the tongue and in the floor of the mouth. -Anyone can get oral cancer, but the risk is higher if you are male, over age 40, use tobacco or alcohol or have a history of head or neck cancer. -The methods in use for oral cancer screening have been cumbersome and costly. -Dentists now have an easy to use and economical system for oral cancer screening and are calling this a "game changer". - "Oral ID" has an impressive record of evidence-based testing, is sought after because of its non invasive ease of usage, and its very affordable cost.
Sleep Apnea Screening -Patients are realizing how a blockage of oxygen to the brain, caused by nocturnal apnoeic events, can influence systemic damage. -Sleep Apnea is connected to strokes, cardiac arrest, diabetes and dementia. -The public asks their dentists for help- most dentists are unprepared. -Less than 1% of practicing dentists are trained and qualified to screen and treat the over 40 million victims of Sleep Apnea. -One of the next three patients that walk thru your doors is a Sleep Apnea victim. -Are you prepared to help them?
Diabetes Mellitus The oral manifestations of diabetes include: -Periodontal Disease, Xerostomia, tenderness, pain and burning sensation of tongue, secondary enlargement of parotid glands with sialosis. -Increased caries prevalence in adults. -Increased risk of infection- reasons unknown, but macrophage metabolism altered with inhibition of phagocytosis. -Peripheral neuropathy and poor peripheral circulation, -Oral mucosal diseases including Candidal infections, lichen planus and recurrent aphthous stomatitis. -Delayed healing of wounds due to microangiopathy and ultilization of protein for energy may retard the repair of tissues. -Increased prevalence of dry sockets. -Immunological deficiency: -A high sugar medium decreases production of antibodies.Blood pressure and other "vitals" Imagine administering a mandibular block, having your patient go into cardiac arrest, and realizing that no one in your office has taken that patient's blood pressure today. Enough said about that!
Are you providing a Comprehensive Exam?
NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR PATIENT

I like to see a dentist introduce him/herself with, “How may I help you today?” You may have some information from the patient’s registration, but often you will get a better (or different) understanding from a personal response.
ALF= Ask questions, Listen, give Feedback.
New concerns related to PERIODONTAL DISEASE- Alzheimer’s, Diabetes, Colon Cancer
Now add Altzheimer’s Disease, Diabetes, and Colon Cancer to the connection between Periodontal (gum) Disease and many other systemic diseases.
It is well documented that the same bacteria that harbor in the gums are directly related to heart disease, strokes, lung disease, kidney failure, and premature underweight births. We have been aware of systemic relationships for a long time and have been warning our patients of the necessity to have healthy gingivae (gums).
1. Alzheimer’s disease
A report from The Journal of Neuroinflammation, August 2011, which is well documented: “Alzheimer’s disease – a neurospirochetosis.” http://www.jneuroinflammation.com/content/pdf/1742-2094-8-90.pdf
“The frequency of spirochetes is significantly higher in the brains of
Alzheimer patients compared to controls. The statistical analysis is
based on the cumulative data of the literature entered in the table
The association is statistically significant in the four groups analyzed:
in the group where all types of spirochetes were detected using
neutral techniques (All spirochetes), in the group of oral periodontal
pathogen spirochetes (Oral spirochetes), in the group where Borrelia
burgdorferi was detected alone (B. burgdorferi) and in the group
where all studies were considered.”

2. Diabetes
A recent study conducted by scientists from New York University found that oral blood samples drawn from pockets of periodontal inflammation can be used to measure hemoglobin A1c, a marker for diabetes.
“In light of these findings, the dental visit could be a useful opportunity to conduct an initial diabetes screening – an important first step in identifying those patients who need further testing to determine their diabetes status,” said the study’s principal investigator, Shiela Strauss, M.D.
Strauss added that there is an urgent need for more opportunities where people can get screened for diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 8 percent of the population has the disease, and 79 million people are pre-diabetic, meaning that if they continue with their current lifestyle habits then they will most likely develop the condition.
In a recent study, researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute in America found unusually high amounts of the bacteria associated with periodontal disease in nine colorectal tumor samples.
Thank your Dental Assistant this week!
From the American Dental Association news.
It’s that time of year to thank the assistants who help your practice succeed.
Dental offices throughout the world will celebrate Dental Assistants Recognition Week March 4–10. The theme for this year’s event is “Key to Productivity: The Professional Dental Assistant.“
Each year, dentists take a week to honor dental assistants for their role on the dental team, recognizing their broad spectrum of duties and highlighting their often unheralded contribution to quality dental care. The American Dental Assistants Association, American Dental Association, Canadian Dental Assistants Association and Canadian Dental Association jointly recognize the observance. Dental assistant associations, dental assisting schools, and U.S. Army and Air Force dental clinics all join dental offices in honoring dental assistants during this designated week.
“Dental assistants are valued members of the dental team. The role of assistants has become even more important in recent years with the advent of expanded functions,” said Dr. Mark Zust, chair of the ADA Council on Dental Practice. “More than ever, assistants achieve professional growth by studying and receiving advanced training. Dentists delegate more procedures and assistants take pride in their accomplishments.”
Dental assistants will celebrate their contributions to the profession by participating in educational and charity events and other team activities. Dentists typically show their respect for dental assistants’ diverse contributions to the dental profession and the public by providing perks such as luncheons, flowers or treats.
“Dental assistants show their value by providing everything from supportive procedures to direct patient care through expanded functions, which boosts productivity. The assistant provides a valuable connection with the patient; it is often the assistant that the patient turns to when they have questions, the assistant who explains the finances and the assistant who keeps the patient calm during treatment,” said Claudia Pohl, president of the American Dental Assistants Association.
CAN A DENTIST WALK AND WHISTLE AT THE SAME TIME?

Some patients are quite “detail oriented” and they would like you to tell them what you are going to do, tell them what you are doing, and then tell them what you have done.
Then there are the “big picture” people (the vast majority of our patients) who only want to know how long. how much, and the end result. We can get to know who they are by learning body language and verbal cues… or even asking our patient. They will tell us. In all cases it is helpful to find some subject to talk about (a one-way conversation, of course) to keep the patient distracted and thinking positive about the treatment, their comfort, and the outcome. The chairside assistant can play an important role in this.
Still interested? Please read my article on case presentation: http://wp.me/p1OXM3-5R
