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Your restorative cases are hiding airway problems.

Those recurring crown fractures and cervical wear patterns aren't random - they're screaming signs of sleep-disordered breathing. In this issue, we'll show you how leading practices are protecting their restorative work and adding $60,000-$80,000 monthly revenue by addressing the airway first.

In Today’s Edition:

• Restorative and Sleep Dentistry

• CE Opportunities / Events

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5-minute read👇

Clinical Corner

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Key Takeaways🔑

Your Restorative Practice Needs Dental Sleep Medicine. Here's Why.

Watch the companion video interview with Dr. Mark Newman to see how one practice successfully integrated dental sleep medicine with their restorative practice.

Your restorative cases are likely hiding airway problems. That crown you just replaced for the second time? The patient with recurring cervical wear? These aren't just restorative challenges – they're screaming signs of sleep-disordered breathing.

Breaking Through the Integration Barrier

Adding dental sleep medicine to your practice isn't just about offering a new service. It's about transforming how you diagnose and treat every patient who walks through your door.

Dr. Mark Newman discovered this when he began integrating sleep medicine into his family's restorative practice. The key wasn't creating separate systems – it was weaving sleep medicine into existing workflows.

Think about your current process. You're already examining patients, taking impressions, and treatment planning. Adding airway screening doesn't require a complete overhaul of your systems. It requires a shift in perspective.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Here's the financial reality: dental sleep medicine pays off. Each appliance typically brings in $3,000–$4,000 gross revenue. Even treating just 15-20 sleep patients monthly can add $60,000–$80,000 to your bottom line.

But the real profit isn't just in sleep appliances. It's in saving your restorative work from failure. Research shows that untreated sleep apnea and bruxism wreak havoc on dental work. Porcelain fractures, screw loosening, and implant failures often trace back to airway issues.

Your New Approach to Patient Care

Every comprehensive exam should include airway screening. Not because you're adding services, but because you're preventing failures.

When you spot worn dentition, don't just reach for the crown prep kit. Ask about sleep quality. Notice a pattern of broken restorations? Check that neck circumference.

Treatment planning changes when you think airway-first. Sometimes you'll need to stabilize sleep issues before major restorative work. Other times, you'll coordinate appliance therapy with your restorative timeline.

Prevention becomes your best friend. Current research shows that patients with sleep-disordered breathing need specialized prosthetic planning. Your treatment success depends on addressing the underlying airway issues.

Growing Your Practice Through Comprehensive Care

Your patients aren't just looking for pretty teeth. They want solutions to their problems. When you connect their failing restorations to their poor sleep, you're offering real answers.

This comprehensive approach builds trust. Patients who understand the connection between their dental problems and sleep issues become your best advocates. They refer family and friends because you solved problems other dentists missed.

Start Tomorrow: Your Action Plan

Here's what you can do in your practice starting tomorrow morning:

1. Add four questions to your health history about sleep quality and snoring.

2. Keep a neck measurement tape in every operatory.

3. Look at every crown prep through an airway lens – ask why this tooth needs work.

4. Take photos of wear patterns and discuss them with patients.

5. Start one conversation this week about sleep quality with a restorative patient.

Remember, you don't have to revolutionize your practice overnight. Start with one patient, one conversation, one screening at a time. Your restorative practice – and your patients – will thank you.

Suneel VB, Kotian S, Jujare RH, Shetty AK, Nidhi S, Grover S. Incidence of Prosthetic Complications associated with Implant-borne Prosthesis in a Sleep Disorder Center. J Contemp Dent Pract. 2017 Sep 1;18(9):821-825. doi: 10.5005/jp-journals-10024-2133. PMID: 28874648.

Schönhofer B, Stoohs RA, Rager H, Wenzel M, Wenzel G, Köhler D. A new tongue advancement technique for sleep-disordered breathing: side effects and efficacy. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1997 Feb;155(2):732-8. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.155.2.9032220. PMID: 9032220.

Chochlidakis K, Fraser D, Lampraki E, Einarsdottir ER, Barmak AB, Papaspyridakos P, Ercoli C, Tsigarida A. Prosthesis Survival Rates and Prosthetic Complications of Implant-Supported Fixed Dental Prostheses in Partially Edentulous Patients. J Prosthodont. 2020 Jul;29(6):479-488. doi: 10.1111/jopr.13185. Epub 2020 May 19. PMID: 32364656.

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