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Ever wonder if your patient's gut health affects their sleep? Today's Clinical Corner dives into vagal tone - the missing link in holistic sleep care.

Let's dive in.

In Today’s Edition:

• The Vagus Nerve

• Boosting Sleep Practice Conversion Rates

• Industry Events

5-minute read👇

Clinical Corner

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Key Takeaways🔑

Vagal Tone: A Key to Holistic Patient Care in Dental Sleep Medicine

Let's discuss a small but significant nerve - the vagus nerve.

Dental sleep professionals, it's time to expand your toolkit. Recent research highlights a critical link between vagal tone and overall health—including sleep quality. Understanding and addressing vagal tone could be the missing piece in your patient care puzzle.

What is Vagal Tone?

Vagal tone measures the functioning of the vagus nerve—a superhighway connecting your brain to vital organs. Higher vagal tone correlates with better heart rate variability (HRV), indicating a more adaptable nervous system.

Key point: Low vagal tone is associated with IBS, Crohn's disease, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and cardiovascular issues—conditions that often overlap with sleep disorders.

The Vagus-Sleep Connection

While direct studies on vagal tone and sleep apnea are limited, the overlap in associated conditions is striking:

• Cardiovascular disease

• Metabolic disorders

• Anxiety and depression

Improving vagal tone could potentially address these comorbidities, enhancing overall treatment outcomes.

Evidence-Based Interventions

1. Breathing Exercises

   • Slow breathing at 5.5 breaths per minute showed the most improved HRV.

   • Action: Teach patients a simple 5-second inhale, 5-second exhale technique.

2. Cold Exposure

   • Brief cold water exposure reduces heart rate and improves HRV.

   • Action: Recommend 10-20 seconds of cold water at the end of showers.

3. Exercise

   • High-intensity exercise improves vagal tone more than moderate intensity in heart failure patients.

   • Action: Encourage regular exercise, tailored to patient fitness levels.

4. Diet and Probiotics

   • Fish oil supplementation significantly increased vagal tone.

   • Probiotics support gut health, potentially strengthening the gut-brain axis.

   • Action: Consider recommending fish oil supplements and a multi-strain probiotic.

Clinical Application

Integrate vagal tone assessment and improvement into your practice:

1. Use HRV tracking devices (e.g., Oura Ring, Whoop Band) for baseline measurements.

2. Implement a two-week intervention program, focusing on one technique at a time.

3. Monitor progress through HRV changes and symptom improvements.

Conclusion

By addressing vagal tone, you're not just treating sleep—you're enhancing overall health. This holistic approach could lead to better outcomes and increased patient satisfaction. Start small, measure consistently, and watch as this simple addition transforms your practice.

Remember: What's good for the vagus nerve is good for sleep. It's time to make vagal tone a cornerstone of your dental sleep medicine approach.

Business of Sleep

📈Better businesses = more lives saved!

Amp Up Your Sleep Practice Conversion Rates 🚀

Hope you're ready to stir up your Monday with some inspiring insights and tactical takeaways. Today, we're diving into the world of treatment plan conversion rates – the lifeblood of your practice. 🩺

📉 The Falling Numbers Game

Picture this: A friend, let's call him "Mike", runs a successful general dentistry practice in the West Coast, treating sleep apnea with gusto. But suddenly, his treatment plan conversion rates plunge from a healthy 70% to a concerning 16%. His explanation? That five-letter word we're all tired of hearing: COVID.

💪 Embrace the Hustle

But here's the deal. Despite the setbacks and the storm, we're channeling the spirit of Abraham Lincoln: "Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." So, it's time to tighten your belt, set your eyes on the prize, and ready yourself to navigate the headwinds of adversity.

🗺️ Unpacking the Treatment Plan

Let's get to the nitty-gritty. Mike's practice is fee-for-service (FFS) based, catering to most dental insurances and overseen by a sleep physician. Every patient's sleep study indicates OSA and recommends oral appliance therapy. So far, so good.

⚖️ Balancing the Clinical and Financial

Think of your treatment plan in two halves: the Clinical Treatment Plan (your jam), including sleep test review, treatment options discussion, and the patient's decision to proceed; and the Financial Treatment Plan (the domain of your "Closer"), detailing the value included, payment options, and securing payment from the patient. Both are crucial, and if either fails, it's game over. No better sleep, no improved health, no increased production.

👑 Crafting the Comprehensive Treatment Plan

The aim of the Comprehensive Treatment Plan is simple: creating a value path to which the patient can easily say "yes". This includes everything from case initiation and oral appliance (with a 2-year warranty) to adjustments, titrations, and efficacy home sleep studies.

💳 The Power of Third-Party Financing

In a world that operates on credit, offering third-party financing options is a game-changer. And yes, you can afford to offer 24-month financing, especially when you control the global fee for services rendered. Here's the truth:

• 24-month financing is cheaper than a "no"

• It matches your warranty and adjustment period for therapy

🗣️ Communication for the Win

Finally, let's talk about how to seal the deal with some communication best practices:

• Who says what: Divide the treatment plan into the clinical and financial components, and handle the conversation that aligns with your strength.

• Value Building: Let your Closer clearly explain what's included in the treatment plan. No jargon. No complexity.

• Payments: List out all payment options before presenting to the patient. The closing question? "Which payment option fits best in your budget?"

• K.I.S.S. (Keep It Super Simple): The quickest way to lose a case is to complicate it. Keep it simple, score the "yes."

Ride the waves, keep tweaking, keep giving. The more you hustle, the more you'll thrive. Trust us on this one. 🌟

Something Sweet

🍭Stuff so sweet you might get a cavity..

Industry Events

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