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Good morning. We're excited to share that 8,000+ dental pros now subscribe to More Than Teeth. Your support means the world to us. This week, there's a connection between DSM and mental health, so let's get into it. But first, a laugh...  

Teeth in custody: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) released a video this week showcasing a luxurious pair of gold and diamond grills (still on their molds!) that were confiscated because the patient purchased them with funds derived from drug trafficking. To drill the point home, the agency put the criminal choppers on display at the DEA museum. Crime doesn’t pay.

In Today’s edition:

• The Sleep Apnea & Psychiatry Conundrum

• The Sleep-Suicide Connection

• Spotlight: Sleep Apnea and ADHD Connection

• 3 Keys to Practice Success

5-minute read today👇

Clinical Corner

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

🔑Key Takeaways

1/ The Sleep Apnea & Psychiatry Conundrum

A study looked at 110 patients and found that people with mental health conditions—like depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia—are more likely to have OSA. This makes sense since OSA, with symptoms like sleepiness, tiredness, and inability to sleep, is common in the general population.

Why This Matters:

This connection is crucial for dental sleep experts. It helps them understand the many aspects of sleep and mental health, needing a varied approach to treatment. It stresses the need for thorough OSA checks in people with mental health conditions because of the shared symptoms and the effects on overall health. This comes from the bad physical health often seen in these patients, and the added risk when OSA is also present.

🔍 Practical Takeaways:

• Screening

  • Be alert for symptoms common to OSA and mental health disorders.

  • Do thorough OSA checks for people with mental health conditions.

• Holistic Approach

  • Use a treatment plan that thinks about mental health and good sleep.

  • Look closely at how mental health medicines affect OSA.

• Patient Education

  • Teach patients about how sleep disorders and mental health are connected and encourage them to manage their conditions actively.

2/ The Sleep-Suicide Connection

💡 Overview:Sleep problems are becoming more common in older adults, and it's a big health issue. These problems are often linked to higher rates of suicide, which is now the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. Treating sleep disorders is important for preventing suicide, especially since older adults are more likely to be depressed and rely on medication that can increase suicide risks.

🌿 Why It Matters:The connection between sleep problems, depression, and suicide means healthcare providers, especially those in dental sleep medicine, need to pay careful attention. Using accurate and different treatment plans like behavior treatments, mouth devices, and laser therapy is important. It can lower risks and make health better.

Practical Takeaways:

• Conduct Detailed Sleep Assessments:Looking closely at patients' sleep is important to find possible disorders and make good treatment plans.

• Prioritize Behavioral Treatments:Using behavior treatments like CBT-I first can be good because some sleep aids are linked to death risks.

• Enhance Accessibility to Behavioral Health Interventions:Making behavior health treatments easier to get, teaching providers, and fixing insurance policies is really important.

• Utilize Technology:Using apps like CBT-I Coach can help patients who are comfortable with technology.

• Focus on Sleep Disturbances:Treating sleep problems can help lower suicide rates and improve health, especially in older adults.

• Continue Investigating Sleep Aids:More research on non-benzodiazepine receptor agonists, like Z-drugs, is needed to know their role in causing suicidal thoughts and actions in older adults.

3/ Spotlight: Sleep Apnea and ADHD Connection

Recent talks have highlighted the strong link between Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and symptoms like those in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A careful look at studies shows an important connection that dental sleep medicine experts should know about. The reviewed studies, six in total, explore how treating OSA can change ADHD symptoms. They show that up to 95% of OSA patients report problems with attention. Also, OSA is found in 20% to 30% of severe ADHD cases.

💡 Why It Matters:This interesting connection is really important for specialists treating sleep apnea with methods like mouth devices and laser therapy. Knowing the link between OSA and ADHD can help doctors treat patients with both conditions better. Treating OSA in patients showing ADHD symptoms can help improve behavior and attention and reduce ADHD symptoms, as seen in the six reviewed studies.

🛠️ Practical Takeaways:

• Acknowledge the Prevalence:Understand that almost 95% of OSA patients show symptoms like those in ADHD.

• Identify the Dual Occurrence:Watch for the 20% to 30% of severe ADHD patients who also have OSA.

• Optimize Treatment Approaches:Changing treatment plans for OSA can really help improve ADHD symptoms.

• Investigate Thoroughly:We need more detailed studies and investigations to fully understand the connection, diagnosis, and outlook.

• Stay Informed and Adapt:Keep up with new studies and change treatment plans to include what we learn about OSA and ADHD.

Business of Sleep

📈Better businesses = more lives saved!

3 Keys to Practice Success

To do well in Dental Sleep Medicine, you need more than just knowledge about the medical side of things. Understanding how a business works is also important to keep things running smoothly. Here are three important strategies you need to have a successful practice in Dental Sleep Medicine.

1. Make the Most Money Possible: Get the Most out of Medical Billing for Oral Appliances
   Success in Dental Sleep Medicine begins with making sure you’re getting paid as much as possible for oral appliances. This is key to making money and growing your practice. We know medical billing can be confusing, but we’ll give you easy-to-follow steps and plans to help you make more money.

2. Find the Right Patients to Keep Growing
   Getting the right patients is super important for your practice. We’ll talk about the best ways to find patients and how to market your practice, all while making sure it fits with what your practice offers. By focusing on the right people, your patients will be happier, and your practice will have a better reputation.

3. Work Well with Referring Doctors
   Making good partnerships with doctors who refer patients to you is another key to success. This can make your practice look more trustworthy and help you care for your patients in more ways. We’ll give you advice on how to make and keep these important partnerships, focusing on shared goals and growing together.

Key Takeaways:

• Getting the most out of medical billing is key to making more money.

• Finding the right patients can make your practice stand out.

• Having good partnerships with doctors can increase your practice’s reach and improve the care you give.

Final Thoughts:

Being successful in Dental Sleep Medicine means understanding business, focusing on the right patients, and partnering with other professionals. We’ll go more into each of these points in upcoming articles, giving you helpful advice and real-world tips to help your practice be the best it can be.

Something Sweet

🍭Stuff so sweet you might get a cavity..

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Miscellaneous

😅P.S. … I forgot something

The hygiene workflow is an incredible acquisition source in your office. Using your hygienist is the front line in screening for sleep disorder breathing will create a natural acquisition source to save more lives!