The Best Practices Show with Kirk Behrendt

What Holds You Back in Dentistry & Sleep?

Episode #292 with Dr. Erin Elliott

Maybe you want sleep and airway in your practice, but you’re feeling held back. Today, Dr. Erin Elliott returns on the topic of airway with advice on how to get started! Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Elliott talk about the most common obstacles dentists face and the best practices on how to overcome them. For tips on positive thinking, staying motivated, and having confidence in your work, listen to Episode 292 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Don't let medical billing be a roadblock to doing sleep in your practice.

Fear of being sued shouldn't stop you.

Avoid thinking about the “what-ifs" — most of those fears never happen.  

Have confidence in your work. Don't let imposter syndrome hold you back.

Learn how to communicate and talk to your patients and team.

Always think about what's best for your patients.

Don't try to do it all — delegate.

Quotes:

“Complexity is the enemy of implementation. And dentists do one thing really well, is overthinking and making things more difficult than they need to be.” (04:29—04:40)

“I recently took a poll on the forum that I mentor on from people that have attended the course, ‘Why are you not doing as much sleep as you want to?’ And number one was medical billing.” (05:35—05:49)

“If you take care of the patient and do what's best for them — there are some jerks in this world. But to get to the point where you're sued, legally, it’s standard of care. And it’s also clinically acceptable work — you won't get sued. They have to have an expert witness in order to win. Ask me how I know, because I had to go through the process.” (09:21—09:45)

“You do feel like you're behind the ball all the time. And then, of course, people only post their most amazing work, and you're like, ‘Man, I am a crappy dentist,’ when really, you're getting patients out of pain, you're restoring their smile, their function. You're doing everything well, [but] you always feel like a failure. So, you've just got to get out there.” (10:48—11:11)

“Don't start expecting physician referrals if you don't even know what to do with a patient when you get them.” (22:42—22:47)

“It’s really the team that gets things going, and I think we don't utilize them enough.” (27:37—27:40)

“Stop being nice. It doesn't mean not to be nice, but it means that people are okay with you leading them. And it’s not being a jerk to have certain expectations that you expect them to meet. And if you have to correct them, they have given you permission just by being your employee.” (33:59—34:24)

“Just know that: (1) you know what you're doing; (2) you won't get sued; (3) take care of people, [and] you'll find satisfaction in your job.” (45:00—45:06)

Snippets:

Dr. Elliott’s background. (02:53—07:18)

Don't let your fears stop you. (08:09—12:06)

Don't let imposter syndrome hold you back. (12:59—14:41)

Have your “why” to keep yourself motivated. (15:21—16:19)

You can't do everything yourself/the champion concept. (17:07—21:13)

Other obstacles holding you back from doing sleep in your practice. (21:35—24:35)

Mistakes made and lessons learned. (25:46—27:45)

Have confidence in leading your team. (28:31—32:11)

Heidi vs. Howard study, and the origin of the word “nice”. (32:11—39:30)

Don't be easily defeated. (40:02—41:16)

Dr. Elliott’s sleep courses. (41:33—43:03)

Dr. Elliott’s contact information, website, and S1 course. (43:11—44:07)

Closing. (44:08—45:42)

Reach Out to Dr. Elliott:

Dr. Elliott’s website: https://3d-dentists.com/

Dr. Elliott’s email:

Move It or Lose It – Beyond Ergonomics

Episode #291 with Dr. Uche Odiatu

We've all heard the benefits of exercise, but it goes beyond ergonomics. To remind you of the neurological benefits of being physically active, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Uche Odiatu for a lesson on how exercise can keep your mind healthy and add years to your practice. And the best part is, you don't need a lot of time to get moving — start today! For more, listen to Episode 291 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

There are neurological and physiological benefits to being physically active.

Exercising and fitness goes beyond just “looking hot”.  

Fitness isn't a cost, it’s an investment.

Sitting is the new smoking!

Walk more, walk briskly, and live longer.

You don't need a ton of time to exercise!

Quotes:

“Most people, when they think of exercise, they're thinking a flat stomach. They think of squares. They're thinking of “looking hot” for your high school reunion . . . Dr. Church from the Cooper Institute in Texas said the benefit of being regularly physically active, 90% of it is from the neck up, which means neurologically, longer telomeres, better synaptic connections, less toxin buildup, better sleep.” (05:27—06:04)

“People who aren’t physically active are 1/10th as productive as people who are physically active.” (07:06—07:12)

“Michael Colgan, PhD, in a book called Save Your Brain, said by age 55, for most people who are physically inactive, which is basically 85% of the audience here . . . almost half of their mitochondria are no longer fully functioning.” (09:21—09:43)

“I don't think fitness costs anything. It’s an investment. Nutrition is an investment for me. My exercise equipment is an investment for me. My yoga mat is an investment for me. My Lululemon is an investment for me . . . Everything in your body that costs, it’s actually an investment, from my brain to my nutrition to my equipment.” (16:01—16:31)

“We weren't designed to sit. It literally shuts down our physiology. It shuts down breathing. And you're thinking, ‘Is that a big deal?’ Well, the brain, at three pounds, is the biggest oxygen hog. At three pounds, our brain uses 25% of the incoming oxygen. So, when you're sitting, your brain is being starved of oxygen.” (25:27—25:45)

“If you can't be in the top 2% in income, be in the top 2% in having a complete exercise program.” (36:34—36:40)

Snippets:

Dr. Odiatu’s background. (03:17—04:48)

Why movement is so important in dentistry. (05:27—11:05)

Sleep is the secret weapon. (11:42—13:21)

Treat your body like a high-performance race car. (14:51—18:00)

Move it or lose it. (18:52—20:36)

Dentistry is a sport. (21:15—24:28)

Sitting is the new smoking. (24:55—27:15)

Movement is life. (28:10—30:35)

Walk more (briskly) and live longer. (31:21—33:21)

The ergonomic side of movement. (34:11—36:40)

Myths of exercise and Dr. Odiatu’s exercise routine. (37:09—39:16)

Interval training is important to the body. (39:26—41:39)

Don't overdo it! (42:01—43:39)

Keep yourself healthy to add more years to your practice. (44:33—46:14)

Dr. Odiatu’s contact information and virtual presentations. (46:43—48:26)

Reach Out to Dr. Odiatu:

Dr. Odiatu’s Instagram: @fitspeakers https://www.instagram.com/fitspeakers/?hl=en

Dr. Odiatu’s email: [email protected] 

Dr. Odiatu’s website: http://www.druche.com/

Further...

The 5 Things That Patients Want

Episode #290 with Dr. Sam Low

If you've ever thought to yourself, “I don't know what my patients want,” and don't know where to begin, today’s guest is here to help demystify what patients find important when it comes to their dental health. To teach you how to hook and educate your patients so they are motivated to make better decisions, Kirk Behrendt invites Dr. Sam Low to explain patients’ fears, desires, and expectations from their dentists. To learn about the five things patients want, listen to Episode 290 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

1. Patients don't want pain!

2. Patients want to look good.

3. But patients don't want to pay.

4. Patients want things done now.

5. Patients want everything done by you.

Create trust and communication with your patients and your team.

Create your niche in dentistry.

Find the patient you want, and then keep them.

Use motivational interviewing.

If you educate your patients, you can keep them for life.

Quotes:

“This is basically what they want — first of all, [patients] don't want to hurt. And if you hurt them, I promise you, they're going to get on up and they're going to kill you. You can't hurt them.” (05:21—05:33)

“Number two, [patients] want to look good. I don't care if they have no money. They expect to look good. They expect to look fantastic. We’re selfish. That's what we want.” (05:38—05:47)

“Number three — sorry — [patients] don't want to pay . . . ‘If I'm a Medicare patient, how come I can't get any dentistry done?’” (05:48—06:06)

“[Patients] want everything done now. You know this milling game? Sure, I love the technology. What really pushed the milling game is patients want it now. They don't want to wait 30 days. They want 30 minutes.” (06:09—06:24)

“Patients want everything done with you; it’s convenience. ‘Doc, are you sure you can't take the impacted wisdom teeth out of my daughter? You did such a great job with these ceramics.’” (06:31—06:45)

“40 years ago, a dentist was the only game in town. There weren't a lot of other dentists around. You do know, we’ve got 65 dental schools. You've got to create a niche. Because if you don't create that niche with you, your nonverbal cues, do you know what's going to happen? [Patients are] going to go to somebody down the street — because [they] can.” (08:37—08:58)

“The number-one way to build a practice is relationships.” (09:45—09:50)

“Find something in [a patient’s] medical history or their dental history you can hook into. That's the way you do it. Find something that you can parlay into the conversation.” (10:50—11:01)

“Do you know the number-one phrase that sells more perio than any other phrase? ‘We see today the irreversible loss of your jawbone . . .’ Did we say we’re losing teeth? No. We said your jawbone. That is the number-one elevator pitch for you. And the second is, ‘There is absolutely a mouth-body connection.’” (12:40—13:14)

“Once you educate [patients], they’re yours for life.” (16:48—16:51)

Snippets:

Dr. Low’s background. (02:15—03:07)

Origin of the “five things” framework. (04:04—07:00)

Create a niche in your dental practice. (07:40—10:04)

Find something in a patient’s medical history to hook and motivate them. (10:50—14:05)

The importance of motivational interviewing. (14:54—17:39)

Is there a link between the amount of perio and restorative that patients do? (18:07—22:15)

The future of perio. (22:59—25:57)

Last thoughts. (26:10—27:05)

Dr. Low’s contact information. (27:55—28:36)

Reach Out to Dr. Low:

Dr. Low’s email:

The Dental Sleep Medicine Recipe for Success:

Episode #289 – Part 5 – Billing and Documentation with Dr. Mark Murphy

Screening and treating your patients might’ve been easy. But now comes the worst part — billing and documentation. In the final episode of this five-part series, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Mark Murphy to help you understand the biggest barrier to success in DSM. His solution? Outsource! To learn how outsourcing could benefit you, your staff, and your practice, listen to Episode 289 of The Best Practices Show! If you missed any of the previous episodes, be sure to go back and listen to Episodes 285 – 288!

Main Takeaways:

Over 90% of dentists will quit DSM out of frustration with documentation.

Outsource! Third party companies know how to communicate with insurance companies.

Outsourcing will save you time, money, and give you peace of mind.

Third party billing and documentation companies know how to get you paid!

There are only 4% of dentists doing DSM.

The population of people with obstructive sleep apnea is growing.

Quotes:

“Whatever an hour or an hour-and-a-half is worth to you, write that down. When we finished using a third party as a documentation support software system . . . I would not spend three minutes at the end of my last patient finishing my documentation for the day, because there's a checklist, there's punching buttons. Everything gets done automatically.” (03:06—03:43)

“When I've talked to people who said, ‘Well, I've tried sleep medicine, but I just quit,’ I said, ‘Why’d you quit?’ The number-one answer is, ‘I couldn't get paid.’ I said, ‘Why couldn't you get paid?’ ‘Well, we tried to bill.’ ‘Did you try to do it yourself?’ ‘Yes.’ I go, ‘That might be the problem.’” (03:47—04:00)

“90% to 95% will quit doing dental sleep because of the documentation.” (04:59—05:02)

“If you say, ‘The hour I spend cutting the lawn every week is like Zen meditation,’ then knock yourself out and do it. Absolutely. Let me tell you, you're not going to feel that way about documentation and billing.” (05:57—06:08)

“I probably pay $300 a month for my software. I probably pay $49 a claim and 8% for my claims. That is a cost of doing business. That is a cost of not having to spend an hour-and-a-half at the end of my day, or not having to upset my team by trying to get them to do something that they're not capable of doing.” (13:03—13:21)

“The billing and documentation part, I always say, are the biggest barriers to success in dental sleep medicine. What I probably should say is they're the biggest barriers if you try to do them yourself.” (23:55—24:06)

“The number of people that have obstructive sleep apnea in our population is growing faster than the number of people we’re treating.” (25:55—26:02)

“There are 180,000 dentists, 150,000 GPs, ballpark. Maybe 6,000 dentists are doing dental sleep medicine. That's 4%. . .  So, there's an incredibly large population of patients in need, and it’s growing . . . So, if you decide to cross that chasm and step into the arena to do some dental sleep medicine, it’s a pretty easy downhill path.” (27:16—27:54)

Snippets:

Synopsis. (02:24—04:25)

What outsourcing really means. (04:47—06:16)

Myths of medical insurance. (06:42—10:35)

Things to know about billing and documentation to get started. (11:05—13:21)

Third party billing companies get you paid. (13:38—16:07)

SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan) notes. (16:21—19:40)

Why Dr. Murphy chose to be a Medicare provider. (21:19—23:31)

Last thoughts on billing and documentation. (23:55—25:09)

The future of dental sleep medicine. (25:33—28:12)

Advanced education and associations to join. (28:18—32:59)

Closing. (33:00—35:24)

Reach Out...

The Dental Sleep Medicine Recipe for Success:

Episode #288 – Part 4 – Treatment with Dr. Mark Murphy

Now that your patients have been tested, it’s time to figure out the best way to help them. In part four of this series, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Mark Murphy to talk about treatment — the easiest part of dental sleep medicine! He reviews the steps after a positive test result, his appointment process, and how to follow up with your patients. To learn more about how to treat your patients effectively and efficiently, listen to Episode 288 of The Best Practices Show! If you missed any of the previous episodes, be sure to go back and listen to Episodes 285 – 287!

Main Takeaways:

Don't dwell on the 20% of patients you can't help. Focus on the 80%.

Compliance with CPAP use is still low.

But sometimes, CPAP is the only solution for particular patients.  

Using a digital scanner has advantages for you and your patients.

Adding sleep even one day a week is profitable.

Treatment is physically and mentally the easiest part of this process.

Quotes:

“See, we’re dentists. We dwell on the patient who’s focused on the money, or we dwell on this one outlier, and we build systems for that. Don't do that. Don't do that. Build systems for the 80% that are moving forward. Just run with those 80%, and tell the other 20%, ‘I can't fix you. I can't fix that. That's not my fault.’” (06:29—06:44)

“Most studies will tell you that the average CPAP patient is only wearing their CPAP 40% of the time. This gets worse. What do you mean “wearing it”? Define wearing it. Eight hours a night, seven nights a week? Oh, no. In the CPAP world, they define compliance or adherence as 4.5 hours per night, five nights out of seven.” (22:33—22:57)

“They’ve been making CPAP smaller, quieter, cleaner — everything. Masks, better fitting. They’ve been doing all kinds of things. And still, compliance stays like crap.” (26:14—26:24)

“[New doctors] say to me, ‘Well, this patient only has this many teeth, and they're really mobile. What do I do?’ Well, you probably don't make an oral appliance. You probably tell them they have to have CPAP. Sorry. We can't fix everything. I can't fix that. I don't have a solution. Oral appliance therapy has some requirements, and that patient might not meet the requirements.” (30:50—31:06)

“Today, the hard cost of a scanner has come down so much that I think it’s going to make it a more cost-effective decision for somebody to move from analog impressions to scanning. Dentists who do dental sleep medicine have made that switch like that, because a full-arch upper and lower impression costs about $45.” (36:30—36:47)

“I scanned her upper, her lower, and took the bite in three minutes and 49 seconds . . . I'm not looking to save eight minutes. Maybe I am. Because if I save eight minutes a day, at the end of five days, that'd be 40 minutes. At the end of a month, that'd be a couple of hours. Maybe I can make my kid’s soccer game, or maybe I could schedule another crown prep or two. Or maybe I could get out of work earlier, take another vacation. I would have choices to make with my time.” (37:43—38:15)

Snippets:

Synopsis. (02:20—04:09)

Next steps after a positive test result. (04:48—06:46)

Appointment structure. (07:04—10:53)

Evolution of oral appliances. (11:09—20:40)

“Effectiveness” of oral appliances. (20:59—23:30)

The New England Journal of Medicine SAVE trial. (23:31—29:05)

Dr. Murphy’s treatment process. (29:52—34:29)

Advantages of digital scanners. (35:57—38:19)

Follow-ups with the patient. (38:45—40:05)

Results: four indicators to look for after treatment. (40:14—45:04)

How to score each of those four indicators. (45:26—50:19)

Does airway health go...

The Dental Sleep Medicine Recipe for Success:

Episode #287 – Part 3 – Testing with Dr. Mark Murphy

You've talked to your patients about sleep apnea, screened them, and finally convinced them to see a physician. But what do you do once your patients get tested? In part three of this airway series, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Mark Murphy to teach you the next steps once you have their test results. But how do you get patients interested in a sleep test to begin with? Listen to Episode 287 of The Best Practices Show to find out! And if you missed the previous episodes, be sure to go back and listen to Episodes 285 and 286!

Main Takeaways:

Don't be cheap — pay someone else to figure out the medical billing.

Get patients in the right perspective and interested in wanting a sleep test.

85% of sleep tests today are done at home — a simpler and less invasive method.

For patients who have a lot going on, refer them to a sleep physician.

Diagnosis is neutral, not judgmental. You're just telling patients the truth.

Get comfortable with 75%. Accept that you can't help 100% of your patients.

Quotes:

“There’s an old John Wooden quote that I like. Failure is not fatal. Failure to change because of the mistakes you make and try different things differently may be fatal.” (01:39—01:51)

“I think where most dentists get [airway] wrong is not figuring out how to get paid for it.” (03:06—03:11)

“It’s so hard for [dentists] to accept 75% success as world-class. And yet, I think to myself, you'd be in the Hall of Fame in every sport if you shot 75%, if you scored 75% of the time, or you batted 750. You'd be in a Hall of Fame of the Hall of Fames.” (06:32—06:48)

“Some patients are unaware of things, and then they become aware. Once they become aware, that's still different than are they interested or not in what's going on . . . If I've engaged them enough, asked them enough questions, engaged them in conversation, been a good listener, shown them how much I care, then they probably come to trust me a little bit. So, unaware, aware, interested, they believe and trust in you. And then, they say the magic words, ‘Well, what do you think we ought to do?’ That's where I want a patient to be on that learning ladder.” (10:26—11:21)

“My triage in my mind is, am I confirming or denying that this patient has sleep apnea, or do I need a broader diagnosis — this patient has a lot going on. If they have a lot going on, I always send them to my local physician. I punt.” (16:56—17:10)

“Am I putting a little bit of fear in [patients]? Well, hell yes, I am. Because it is a serious disease. They're 23 times more likely to die of a heart attack if they have sleep apnea, and I want them to move on to get treatment.” (39:00—39:08)

“So, you see a patient who you think is at risk, and you don't encourage them to get a test, and they die. And you could've saved their life. Is that your partial responsibility? Boy, that's a discussion I don't want to have to have. Now, you've got somebody who has a positive test result, and you paint the picture as, ‘Well, if you kind of want to and you're interested, you might want to go get this device thing,’ and they die. And you could've saved their life. Do you feel the responsibility of that?” (42:24—42:52)

Snippets:

You can't learn something without doing it. (01:22—02:30)

Where dentists go wrong when it comes to sleep. (03:02—07:33)

How to get patients interested in a sleep test. (07:59—12:32)

The presumptive close: assume your patients say yes. (13:05—14:26)

Types of sleep tests. (14:55—19:23)

You can't treat 100% of your patients. (20:29—22:18)

Four types of tests and consumer wearables. (22:37—29:51)

Treatments and side effects. (30:50—34:18)

Should you review test...

The Dental Sleep Medicine Recipe for Success:

Episode #286 – Part 2 – Screening with Dr. Mark Murphy

You already screen patients for oral cancer — now, do it for sleep apnea! In part two of this series, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Mark Murphy to teach you the best practices for screening your patients. Screening is quick, easy, and noninvasive. And the best part is, you don't need to figure out billing before you do it! For more of Dr. Murphy’s advice, listen to Episode 286 of The Best Practices Show! If you missed part one, be sure to go back and listen to Episode 285!

Main Takeaways:

Patients and their lives are very dynamic. You can't just screen them once.

Dentists are responsible and capable of screening for sleep-related breathing disorders.

Create curiosity and interest so your team wants to screen patients.

Use the STOP-BANG questionnaire to screen at-risk patients.

Use the BEARS questionnaire to screen at-risk children.

You don't need to figure out the billing to start the screening.

Have intentional conversations with patients about their risk, with hope of treatment.

Quotes:

“The algorithm we use has age as one of the eight factors that we look at very closely. And if you have three of the eight factors, you're at moderate risk. Four, you're at high risk.” (05:56—06:05)

“Even though the incidence of you finding an oral cancer, the incidence of you impacting somebody’s life is very small, you're willing to invest the time, the effort, and energy no matter what. You would never think of skipping that oral cancer screening exam . . . So, what if I told you that I needed you to screen for something during that hygiene visit, like oral cancer, that happens in 20% to 25% of your patients, and then when you do that you can save their life? Could you commit to that, no matter what?” (08:19—09:23)

“That's not the reason to do [screenings], to cover your ass . . . It’s about helping your patients be healthier.” (12:37—12:53)

“You don't have to treat sleep. I'm not suggesting you have to treat sleep . . . I don't have to be a specialist. I don't have to be a sleep doctor. I don't have to be a sleep dentist. But I've got to screen. And it doesn't take long.” (12:55—13:29)

“The idea here is, I have an algorithm that's pretty darn predictive for sleep apnea. And it’s not very invasive to get that information. Intentional conversations will do it.” (28:55—29:07)

“You have a chance in these kids to maybe change a long lineage. And to the person who says, ‘Man, you sure you want to do that to a five-and-a-half-year-old?’ What, you want them to have five years of hell and treat them when they're 11?” (32:33—32:45)

“You don't have to treat perio. Right? But you have to get started in screening for perio and making a referral. Same thing. So, I have to get started in screening [for sleep apnea]. I don't have a choice. I care about my patients, and I have a responsibility — moral, ethical, maybe even legal — so I want to get started in screening.” (35:39—35:56)

“When you go to some of the Scandinavian countries, 30% to 70% of the patients get oral appliance therapy first, CPAP therapy last. Hardly anybody wears a CPAP. Give a CPAP to 100 people, 40% will be wearing it at the end of the year. Give an oral appliance to 100 people, 90% will be wearing it at the end of the year, maybe 95%.” (42:37—42:59)

Snippets:

Dr. Murphy’s screening process. (02:41—05:00)

Are patients static or dynamic? (05:20—06:53)

Best practices for screening. (07:34—10:28)

Not screening is inappropriate practice. (11:11—14:15)

How to help your team understand the importance of screening. (15:06—18:24)

Ask high-quality questions. (18:25—22:36)

STOP-BANG questionnaire and six other questions...

The Dental Sleep Medicine Recipe for Success:

Episode #285 – Part 1 – Physiology with Dr. Mark Murphy

Snoring is more than just noise, according to Dr. Mark Murphy. Over a billion people suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, and your patients may be one of them! To stress the importance of screening for this disorder, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Murphy for a five-part series to teach you everything you need to know to implement dental sleep medicine into your practice. If you want to change or even save your patients’ lives, listen to Episode 285 of The Best Practices Show! 

Main Takeaways:

Billing, communication, and documentation is the hardest part of dental sleep medicine.

Sleep apnea is an epidemic that dentists need to help treat.

Comorbidities are exacerbated with obstructive sleep apnea.

Screen patients for sleep apnea, even if you don't want to treat them.

Better sleep means better health and a better life!  

Quotes:

“There is nothing I've seen in dentistry that is even remotely more rewarding than feeling like you've saved somebody’s life, feeling like you maybe saved somebody’s marriage, feeling like you got two people back in the bedroom together that were having trouble sleeping.” (11:32—11:49)

“How many dentists does it take to change a light bulb? It takes five; one to change the light bulb, and four to sit around and talk about how great the old one was.” (15:24—15:31)

“We take water for granted. There are a lot of people that live most of their lives somewhat dehydrated, and it has a huge impact on their physiology. Oxygen, though, is not ever listed as one of the important, major six nutrients. And yet, I would argue that it is the forgotten nutrient, because you can survive without breathing well, but you can't survive without breathing. And you will be compromised if you're not breathing well.” (17:56—18:24)

“20% to 25% of the adult population has obstructive sleep apnea. And as high as 85% to 90% of those people have never been diagnosed.” (21:30—21:39)

“Saw an ad the other day for a new FDA-approved drug, prescription only, that if you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, you can take this to be more alert during the day. Oh, really? So, instead of getting at the root cause of the problem, we’re going to find a way to obtund your signs and symptoms so that you don't maybe get treatment and you function better every day, and we’ll just burn you out faster. It’s horrible.” (22:53—23:21)

“Patients will think if they snore, it’s just snoring — that it’s just a noise that they make. In reality, there's a very high correlation between snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. It’s not diagnostic, but there's a strong correlation.” (25:47—25:59)

“A person with obstructive sleep apnea is not two, or four, or eight, or 16 times more likely to die of a heart attack — they're 23 times more likely to die of a heart attack because of the stress and the strain that's put on the heart.” (27:24—27:39)

“There's a 53% survival rate over 20 years if you have severe sleep apnea versus not having it — 20 years. All ages, all causes of death. That's crazy. There should be alarm bells going off.” (32:12—32:29)

“Back in 1994, there was no state in the country that had an obesity rate that was in excess of 20%. In 2019, there was no state in the country that had an obesity rate under 20% of the population in the state.” (42:30—42:47)

Snippets:

Dr. Murphy’s background. (02:33—06:24)

How to make airway and sleep work in your practice. (06:57—08:49)

Why Dr. Murphy is passionate about dental sleep medicine. (09:20—14:23)

Dentists are resistant to change. (15:16—16:46)

Oxygen is taken for granted. (17:36—20:53)

Dentists are on the front lines to help treat sleep

Where Structured Interdisciplinary Concepts Started

Episode #284 with Dr. Jeff Brucia

If you’re frustrated with dentistry, you're not alone. Today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Jeff Brucia from F.A.C.E., an institution where the greatest minds in dentistry gathered with frustrations of their own to seek out the best solutions. The result was an interdisciplinary approach to learning, and F.A.C.E. could be exactly what you need! Don't spend two-thirds of your career doing things you're frustrated with or doing them the wrong way! For motivation on continuing to do the very best in your practice, listen to Episode 284 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Be motivated to think first and do second.

Predictability at the highest level is important. And patients want predictability!

F.A.C.E. is not for everybody. It is for the most committed learners.

Many dentists spend most of their career doing things they’re frustrated with. 

Continue to motivate yourself to do the very best.

Quotes:

“When I signed up for the [FACE occlusion program], I'd been out of school five years. And [Tom Basta] thought I was too young. In fact, he was not going to allow me to take the program five years out of school. And why? Why would you turn away a young dentist? And he said, ‘You haven't made enough mistakes. You haven't seen enough failures.” (13:26—13:48)

“You've all experienced doing a single second molar crown, the same way you've done it 10 other times. And on the 11th time, everything goes wrong. Well, why is that? So, what F.A.C.E. tries to do is answer those questions and bring predictability to it.” (25:16—25:35)

“How can I sit a patient down at every level-three program and prep from beginning to end diagnosis, treatment planning, full-mouth preps, impressions, mountings, case delivery? How can I do that time, after time, after time on a living, breathing, patient the most advanced dentistry in the world with 20 people in my space? Because it works.” (41:46—42:17)

“Managing patients’ expectations is all about understanding the predictability of what you do.” (53:09—53:16)

“Successful dentistry builds practices more than anything else.” (53:55—54:01)

“A successful practice is one where you keep all your patients.” (55:12—55:17)

“Take a good look at your practice. What's working? What isn’t? Where do you want to be in 5, 10, 15, 20 years? The majority of people that come through F.A.C.E. are in their last trimester of a dental practice. They have chosen to practice their last period of time doing the best dentistry in the world. And you know what they all say? ‘Why didn't I do this earlier?’” (56:22—56:50)

Snippets:

Dr. Brucia’s background. (03:13—05:56)

The origins of F.A.C.E. (06:59—11:09)

“You haven't made enough mistakes.” (11:28—14:36)

Think first, do second. (15:01—16:37)

Dentistry’s need for accurate instrumentation. (17:09—19:47)

Dr. Peter K. Thomas. (20:25—21:54)

Dr. Charlie Stewart. (22:03—22:49)

The importance of predictability. (23:33—29:38)

Dr. Peter Dawson’s ice skating analogy. (29:55—34:29)

Facebow versus earbow. (35:29—39:18)

Dr. Brucia’s frustrations in dentistry. (39:18—43:12)

The importance of airway. (43:30—50:14)

The future of dentistry. (50:40—59:02)

How to get involved with F.A.C.E. (59:28—63:41)

Reach Out to Dr. Brucia:

http://facedentistry.org/

Why Leadership is Your Most Valuable Marketing Strategy

Episode #283 with Xaña Winans

You want to grow your practice, so you turn to marketing. But it’s not just the marketing that will solve your problems. According to Xaña Winans, CEO and founder of Golden Proportions Marketing, leadership is at the root of every problem. To help you appreciate the value of leadership in marketing, Kirk Behrendt brings back Xaña for advice on how to become a better leader to help your practice grow. Listen for more on Episode 283 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Problems are always traced back to leadership.

The good news is leadership can be taught!

Learn to delegate effectively.

Articulate your vision properly.

Be a strong decision-maker.

Practice ownership, accountability, and responsibility.

It’s never too late to become a better leader!

Quotes:

“This idea that leaders are born is baloney. I think we all think of our natural-born leaders, the people that are incredibly charismatic, and they carry a room . . . But there are so many other things that are part of leadership that we have to be taught.” (07:31—07:50)

“Marketing is the entire patient life cycle, and marketing is about growing your practice. So, you as a leader have to be involved with the growth of your practice, because once that phone gets picked up, it’s out of your marketing company’s hands, to an extent. The better a leader you are, the better the results are that you're going to get from the investment that you've made.” (08:55—09:15)

“It’s funny because, often, I find [the clients themselves] are the very problems that get them to call us in the first place. And they don't realize that leadership is at the root of why they're having these problems.” (10:10—10:19)

“Everybody thinks there's one amazing silver-bullet strategy out there that's going to fix all these problems, when in reality everything that happens in your practice is a result of you as a leader.” (10:31—10:46)

“If you do not like the results you're getting, go stand in front of the mirror. Self-awareness is 100% of the base of this. If you don't understand that as a leader everything in your business rises and falls with you, and the decisions that you make and how you lead people, you will never be able to change.” (13:46—14:06)

“70% of the decisions that an entrepreneur makes are going to be right. But 30% of them are going to be wrong. But if you make those decisions quickly, you can look at it real fast and say, ‘Okay. That wasn't the right strategy for marketing my practice. Let me go back and make a different decision.’ If you agonize over it, you drag the entire process out and the marketing doesn't move forward.” (22:00—22:22)

“Learn how to become a better leader . . . Make it a lifelong pursuit. It’s not something that you just do on a whim. It’s got to change you as a person because it has that long-term impact if you really embrace the change that you're going to get.” (38:47—39:06)

“It’s not the marketing that's going to solve [the] problem. The marketing will help solve the problem once I got the leadership problem solved.” (39:33—39:40)

Snippets:

Xaña’s background. (03:17—03:54)

Why this is an important topic in dentistry. (04:20—05:06)

Everything goes back to leadership. (06:14—07:11)

Can leadership be taught? (07:29—08:06)

Leadership is instrumental to practice growth. (08:32—09:15)

Problems of not having a great leader. (10:10—11:20)

Why do dentists look at leadership as the last thing? (11:47—12:45)

Don't stand in the way of your own growth. (13:33—14:15)

Learn how to delegate. (15:07—15:59)

Steps for effective delegation. (16:27—18:26)

Be clear in your vision and articulate it properly....