Good morning. This is More Than Teeth. The newsletter that helps dental sleep professionals get 1% better every week.

Apparently, there are people stealing dental licenses off the walls of our practices. I’m just hoping they start stealing our student loans too…

Today’s Topics

• Cancer and OSA

• New Billing Standards for Sleep Studies

• This Company Is Banking On Expansion for a Cure

• Leadership Frameworks Everyone Should Know

Today’s a good one.👇

Clinical Corner

🥼Use the clinical corner as your secret weapon to impress your colleagues and patients!

1/ Cancer and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Let's talk about a complex but crucial topic that affects us all: the link between Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and cancer.

Digging Into the Details

Despite being a hot topic for years, the connection between OSA and cancer has often been a cause of head-scratching among professionals. A mega-study was recently conducted to finally shed some light on this matter. Let's break it down.

The Study: Diving into the Data 📚

A massive data hunt was conducted in popular medical databases (PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library). The focus? Every study ever done on the overlap of cancer and OSA. The result? A whopping 22 articles covering a mind-blowing 32.1 million patients!

The Findings: Crunching the Numbers 🔢

After going through the fine print, here's the lowdown:

1. OSA Prevalence in Cancer Patients: Nearly half (46%) of cancer patients were found to have OSA.

2. Cancer Likelihood in OSA Patients: Here's the kicker - OSA patients were about 1.53 times more likely to develop cancer than folks without OSA.

The Takeaway: Connect the Dots 🎯

The study confirms a high prevalence of OSA in cancer patients. Moreover, individuals with OSA are at a heightened risk of developing cancer. In fact, the more severe the OSA, the higher the cancer risk.

This is a wake-up call to keep a keen eye on our OSA patients and ensure they're getting the necessary care. Remember, we're not just dental sleep professionals; we're gatekeepers of health and well-being for our patients. Let's continue to deliver top-notch care!

2/ New Sleep Study Billing Requirements

Billing & Documentation Update for Dental Sleep Studies

Heads up dental offices! Palmetto GBA, a key Medicare administrative contractor, has rolled out some crucial updates to billing and documentation requirements for sleep studies. Let's break it down:

Global Billing - A Game Changer🌍

Now, you can globally bill for home sleep apnea tests if you're an office-based physician with specific training and certification. In short, global billing means you can cover both the professional and technical components of the service.

Raw Data Review and Scoring - Details Matter 📊

The sleep test interpreter must be specifically mentioned in the patient's medical record. Remember, all raw data must be manually scored by a registered polysomnographic technologist (RPSGT), even if autoscoring is used. No manual score, no reimbursement!

Stay ahead of the curve and adjust your workflows to ensure consistency with these new rules. For any questions, reach out to [email protected]. Stay informed, stay successful!

3/ Expansion Device Giving Airway Dentistry New Life

A little shift in perspective can make a huge difference - to your bottom line and patient health! Airway-centric dental practices are on the rise in popularity and for good reason. Yes, they are dentists, but they look at more than just the teeth.

This means focusing on the craniofacial respiratory complex (CFRC), the region shared with ENT specialists, oral surgeons, and speech pathologists. It's about treating snoring with more than just mandibular advancement therapy, looking beyond the teeth.

Vivos Therapeutics: A New Age Solution 💡

Dr. David Singh developed an arch development device that's been gaining momentum.

Here's what it does:

1️⃣ Promotes arch development in children and adults by expanding the palate.

2️⃣ Triggers significant improvements in sleep quality, snoring, blood pressure, headaches, and migraines.

3️⃣ Provides a permanent solution to CPAP's temporary fix, with patients maintaining better sleep study scores even after discontinuing the Vivos DNA device.

We’ve spoken about expansive orthodontics’ long lasting affects with OSA and it seems like Vivos Therapeutics may be on the forefront. They seem to have their regulatory clearances in order as well - no “AGGA” risk here!

Results That Speak Volumes 📈🗣️

Patients undergoing adult arch development with Vivos reported:

• 28% had their OSA resolved.

• 63% improved by one AHI classification.

• 86% improved their airway size.

• 97% increased the width of their palate, allowing the tongue to rest properly, thus avoiding potential airway obstruction.

In terms of satisfaction, 97% achieved their desired outcome, and 98% were highly satisfied, likely to recommend the treatment to a friend. Absolutily astonishing for a medical device to have a 98% satisfaction rate!🤯

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Business of Sleep

📈Better businesses = more lives saved!

Leadership isn’t that hard.

But most Dental offices get it wrong.

Once we learned the four frameworks below, we become master leaders.

1. The Power of 'No' in Patient Care

Achieving a leadership role in a dental office often means saying 'Yes' to challenges, extra shifts, and unexpected situations. However, once in that role, it's crucial to understand the power of 'No.'

Saying 'No' isn't about rejecting new ideas or limiting our dental practice's growth; it's about focusing our resources on what matters most: patient care. It's okay to postpone a new marketing initiative or decline an ancillary project if it doesn't directly contribute to patient care. 👍

2. Vulnerability: Your Secret Weapon in Team Management

Self-awareness is a superpower for dental office leaders. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses helps you manage your dental team more effectively.

Being vulnerable doesn't mean oversharing personal issues; it's about acknowledging our professional imperfections. This could mean hiring a hygienist with skills that complement yours, introducing systems to enhance efficiency, or even focusing on cases best suited to your expertise.

3. Questions: The Key to a Unified Team

Leadership in a dental office isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking the right questions that uncover insights and invite your team's participation.

Having strong views is crucial, but so is being open to new information. Good questions can help you gather patient feedback, encourage team input, and improve your dental practice.

4. Communication: The Foundation of a Successful Dental Practice

Clear communication is vital for a smoothly-running dental office. It's easy to neglect when busy, but that's precisely when we need it most.

If we treat communication as an upfront investment, it pays dividends in the long run. Your team wants to provide the best patient care, but they need to know the expectations and how to meet them. Clear and timely communication channels their energy effectively. 📣

In essence, leadership in a dental practice isn't about being the loudest voice in the room. It's about guiding your team, asking the right questions, and communicating effectively. It's about saying 'No' when necessary and being vulnerable enough to acknowledge your weaknesses. Remember, leading a dental office is a team effort. We're all learning and growing together.