Tag Archives: Medical Insurance
WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA?
Learn Dental Sleep Medicine in Louisville, KY on July 22-23.
Dr. George Jones will explain the WHY and the HOW of these Obstructive Sleep Apnea connections:
- WHY is High Blood Pressure a symptom of SA?
- WHY is Acid Reflux (GERD) a symptom of SA?
- WHY is Diabetes a symptom of SA?
Learn the risk factors and HOW they contribute to OSA:
-
Excess weight. Fat deposits around your upper airway may obstruct your breathing. However, not everyone who has sleep apnea is overweight. Thin people develop OSA, too.
-
Neck circumference. People with thicker necks may have narrower airways. Women- greater than 15″ diameter and men-17″ diameter are at greater risk.
-
A narrowed airway. You may have inherited a naturally narrow throat. Or, your tonsils or adenoids may become enlarged, which can block your airway. An enlarged or inflamed uvula will block the airway.
Being male. Men are twice as likely to have sleep apnea. However, women increase their risk if they’re overweight, and their risk also appears to rise after menopause. -
Age. Sleep apnea occurs significantly more often in adults over 60.
-
Family history. If you have family members with sleep apnea, you may be at increased risk.
-
Race. In people under 35 years old, blacks are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea.
-
Use of alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers. These substances relax the muscles in your throat.
-
Smoking. Smokers are three times more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than are people who’ve never smoked. Smoking may increase the amount of inflammation and fluid retention in the upper airway. This risk likely drops after you quit smoking.
-
Nasal congestion. If you have difficulty breathing through your nose — whether it’s from an anatomical problem or allergies — you’re more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea.
See the Two day course outline and register here: http://join.sleepgroupsolutions.com/seminars/louisville-ky/
IS THERE ANY BETTER OPPORTUNITY IN DENTISTRY TODAY?
It was only three years ago that I read that less than 1% of American licensed dentists were practicing sleep medicine. In those few years that number has risen to 4%. If we have approximately 205,000 practicing dentists in the USA, then there are only 8200 Dentists serving the needs of the multitude of people affected with sleep disorders.According to a Harvard health report there are 18.9 million undiagnosed cases of obstructive sleep apnea and a minimum of 40% – 1.3 million -of CPAP users who are non-compliant. So that alone conservatively projects 20.2 million victims of obstructive sleep apnea who may be helped by a dentist trained in oral appliance therapy (OAT).
Dental sleep medicine: the hottest button in dentistry today.
Awareness of sleep apnea in America is at an all-time peak. The fires of awareness are being stoked by the public media and by social media. Patients are understanding and becoming increasingly more concerned about the blockage of oxygen to the brain and to other organs. Strokes. Heart attacks. Diabetes. Dementia. Motor vehicle accidents. People are recognizing that they have the symptoms and are asking their Dentists about it. Some doctors have the solutions. Every Dentist would like to be “The Sleep Dentist.”Seminar training courses are now available through Sleep Group Solutions every week, in different cities, throughout the United States. They are training dentists to discover the 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 in shining armor 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.
LEARNING DSM TO BUILD A REWARDING PRACTICE
02/19/2016 – 02/20/2016 |
![]() |
CHARLOTTE, NC
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Charlotte Airport
|
02/19/2016 – 02/20/2016 | ![]() |
LAS VEGAS, NV
The Westin Las Vegas Hotel – Casino & Spa
|
☆ LEARN SLEEP WITH DR. FREYDBERG ☆
Sleep Group Solutions
|
START THE NEW YEAR WITH A NEW (MUCH NEEDED) SERVICE
Where: Courtyard San Jose Airport
Time: 8am-5pm (both days)
CEU: 16 (AGD/PACE)
Tuition: $695 (includes 1 DDS and 2 Staff)
Promo code: email695
|
||
![]() |
Read the course content and register here
![]() |
SAN JOSE, CA
Courtyard San Jose Airport
|
Does your New Patient Exam include a Sleep Apnea screening?

Review the course outline and register here:
December 12/04/2015 – 12/05/2015 |
![]() |
TAMPA, FL
Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore
|
|
Dr. Barry Freydberg, a 1968 graduate of the University Of Illinois College Of Dentistry was a full-time practicing general dentist, until recently, where he now spends most of his chair-side time practicing dental sleep medicine in Illinois and Arizona. He says, “In my senior practice years, sleep medicine is fascinating, physically much easier than general dentistry and more rewarding.”
Dr. Freydberg was named University of Illinois “Alumni of the Year” in 2004. He is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, a Fellow of the International College of Dentists, a Fellow of the American College of Dentists and a Fellow of the International Academy for Dental-Facial Esthetics. He is a leading speaker on conservative “Prepless” esthetic dentistry and is considered a pioneer in raising dentists’ awareness of the ever-growing link between high technology and practice and clinical management.
Here’s how to get your CE credits and more.
- analysis of patients’ symptoms and how to screen for them
- scripts for an effective patient interview
- how to motivate the Dental team to commit their patients
- how to get your patients to “own” their disease
- the morphology of the airway
- comorbidities to look out for
- the effects on the systemic organs
- the reimbursement strategy and insurance billing using dental and medical coding.
END OF YEAR BENEFITS
DON’T LET YOUR PATIENTS THROW THEIR MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN
Sending your patients an End of Year Benefit Reminder now will give you time to send any Pre-treatment Estimates needed and still have time to seat any crowns or fabricate an Intraoral Sleep Apnea appliance before the end of the year.
With just a few months left in the year, it’s time to remind patients of their unused benefits…to use them or lose them. Your patients may have forgotten about those unused insurance benefits that have been deducted from their salary all year and they will be lost if not used!
Don’t let your patients throw their money down the drain!
Remember to Tweet and post on Facebook. New prospects looking for a dentist have unused insurance benefits, too, and you just let them know where they can use them…in your office!
Here is a sample notice that you can customize and send:
Subject: You Could be Losing Benefits You’ve Already Earned.
Another year is winding down! We wanted to remind you to make sure you take advantage of any unused dental insurance benefits you may have remaining since most companies do not allow you to carry these over to the next year.
Not sure if you have benefits remaining? No problem! Call us at (office telephone number) or email (office email address) to schedule your appointment, or if we can be of assistance in any way. We’re here for you!
Look forward to seeing you soon!
(Doctor’s Name)
Sample Tweet or Facebook post – Reminder: Take advantage of any unused Insurance benefits before the end of the year. They don’t carry over. Call us. (phone) (124 characters)