The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

SLEEP APNEA THERAPY

A POWERFUL ADDITION TO YOUR TREATMENT MENU

I recently came across a testimonial from a dentist who has incorporated sleep apnea therapy into his practice. This service has added significantly to his production and has been an excellent marketing tool for his office.

He offers several helpful suggestions for interested practitioners:

• There are sleep apnea experts, dentists among them, who will consult with a practice to introduce the therapy concepts to the dental team. Your state dental association should be a source of contact information for such experts in your area.
• A "sleep champion" should be named and trained from current staff or a new team member should be hired to coordinate the program, educate patients, present sleep therapy options, and help patients understand recommended treatments.
• The process should begin with Home Sleep Tests (HST) to diagnose the condition. If the patient scores positive on the HST and wants to pursue treatment, a physician should read the HST results, confirming treatment sequencing.
• The sleep champion team member should present the case, using layman's terminology; an example of layman's terminology—refer to the appliance as "sleep retainer" rather than "sleep appliance." The word appliance may conjure up visions of an enormous object which will prevent rather than aid natural sleep.
• Experiment with several types and brands of sleep appliances until you find a comfortable favorite, acclaimed by patients.

You might try introducing sleep therapy in your practice by initially working with staff, family members, and friends, to determine their need for a sleep appliance. Go through the HST and plannng process with these allies just as you would with other patients. This can then be your stepping stone toward full implementation of sleep apnea therapy in you practice.

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