Dental Sleep Medicine News & Updates
|
Dear Dr,
As the dental treatment of snoring and sleep apnea continues its growth we are committed to bringing you the latest industry news and features. As the world's largest dental sleep medicine continuing education provider we are here for you as you begin offering this life saving service in your practice.
|
Technology Aids in the Diagnosis of OSA
New iPhone App, MSleepTest: Screening in the Hands of the Consumer
With over 18 Million Americans affected by Obstructive Seep Apnea (OSA), and even more undiagnosed, sleep apnea remains one of the most potentially dangerous sleep disorders. The latest and only sleep apnea iPhone questioners app, the MSleepTest, narrows the gap to diagnosis, making treatment more accessible to patients. A quick tap, a recorded sound bite and a few series of questions connects you with a sleep professional in your area for further testing. The idea is to increase awareness of sleep apnea, leading to more treatment.
The creators of the sleep apnea screener, Sleep Group Solutions have been offering dental continuing education courses for the past 7 years, teaching dentists how to screen and treat sleep apnea in house through oral appliance therapy. “Our dentists are saving their patients lives. They help them sleep and breath better, both of which are essential to life. This app acts as an initial screener for OSA, after you go through all the steps, it connects you with a sleep professional in your area who can help you.” explains Rani Ben-David, President of Sleep Group Solutions and creator of the MSleepTest app.
Oral appliance therapy (OAT) is a proven method of treatment for sufferers who are CPAP Intolerant, or have mild to moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Dentists across the country are treating patients, improving quality of life, and creating a healthier patient population. This direct to consumer technology allows the sufferer and/or bedtime partner a free means of screening. After recording your partners snoring, a few questions from the Epsworth and Berlin Sleepiness Scale are asked. From there the patient hits a button and the data is uploaded to a sleep professional in your area. Based on your results, you will be given the option of being contacted by a sleep professional for further testing. “This is a great way to not only educate patients, but it narrows the gap between awareness, and diagnosis.” Says Dr. Steven Lanham, a Dentist in Columbia, South Carolina who screens all of his patients for sleep apnea. “We are beginning to see more patients with this terrible disorder, this app allows us to help patients we would have not necessarily met.”
Don’t have a smart phone? No worries,
there's a website with a similar initiative called, SleepTest.com. This
website allows the sufferer to answer a few questions, also connecting
the patient to a sleep professional in their area for a free
consultation.
Signs you may have sleep apnea are: snoring, obesity, high blood pressure, hypertension, daytime fatigue, irritability, forgetfulness and morning headaches (among others).
To download the MSleepTest and see if you or a loved one may have sleep apnea, click here. To take a sleep test online, log onto SleepTest.com.
|
OSA is Here to Stay
An ENT's Point of View
An Article from The Sleep Magazine
Gregory G. Carnevale, MD
Gregory Carnevale, MD, LLC
There are many reasons for the exponential increase of the diagnosis of sleep apnea (OSA) in patients: lack of exercise, more processed foods, cultural changes, sedentary lifestyle, etc.
Read this full article at www.thesleepmagazine.com (page 14)
|
Respire Medical's oral appliance, the Respire Blue Series has recently achieved 510K Clearance from the FDA.
Read all about it in the Sleep Review, The Journal for Sleep Specialists.
Click the Sleep Review logo below to read the article.
|
Marketing Tip
By: Elias Kalantzis
Use Your Resources: Ask for referrals!
Having a base of patients is good for your practice, tapping that base for referrals is essential to grow your practice.
Week in and week out, the marketing discussions focus on new patients outside of the practice. I think dental offices should focus more time on communicating with their current patients. Ask your patients for a testimonial or to go on yelp/google to review your service. You can automate this process by sending a quick email to your patients after every visit. Word of mouth advertising has been around for thousands of years for a good reason. Don’t forget my favorite way to ask for a referral, “Who besides yourself can benefit from our service?”
To ask Elias a question and have him answer it in our next newsletter, please email us. |
 | Educators Tip By: Kate Baker, SGS Educator
Question: How labor intensive is the process of Dental Sleep Medicine?
Typically assistants and hygienists do most of the work. The testing, records, home sleep test set up and download, etc. The doctors handle only the home sleet test results consultation and taking the bite to send to the lab to make the oral appliance. However the individual office decides to handle it, it is far less physically demanding than general dentistry. Regardless of who is doing the testing, consults, etc, it is not labor intensive at all- provided you have the pharyngometer to cut out the multiple back and forth titrating to try to achieve the best AHI results.
To ask Kate a question and have her answer it in our next newsletter, please email us.
Follow Kate on LinkedIn and stay educated!
|
|
|
|
Introduction to
Dental Sleep Medicine
Date: Sep 30-Oct 1
Instructor:
Dr. Marty Lipsey
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Date: Oct 1-2
Instructor:
Dr. Brock Rondeau
Location: vancouver, BC
Date: October 7-8
Instructor:
Dr. Steven Lanham
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
MORE DATES
|
Upcoming Free Webinars
 | Introduction to Dental Sleep Medicine
(All times Eastern) |
October 4th
8pm - 9pm
Mr. John Nadeau
November 1st
8pm - 9pm
Mr. John Nadeau
December 6th
8pm - 9pm
Mr. John Nadeau
Dental Sleep Medicine Insurance Billing
8pm-9pm
Dr. Marty Lipsey
8pm-9pm
Dr. Marty Lipsey
8pm-9pm
Dr. Marty Lipsey
|
SGS Social Network Corner
|
The LATEST in
Sleep Apnea
Detection:
Click on the new MSleepTest Application
A fun and easy way to see if your partners snoring is something serious!
|
|