Dental Sleep Medicine Insider September 2016 | Page 3

Jason Tierney Editor-in-chief SLEEPING WITH THE EDITOR “I can’t get my patient to move forward with a sleep test.” “My patients look at me like I’m trying to sell them one more thing they don’t need.” The Dental Sleep Medicine Insider [email protected] 314-882-7746 “They don’t want to pay for it since they have to pay for some of the treatment out of pocket.” Have you ever thought this way? I’ve heard these statements hundreds of times from dentists treating sleep apnea. Over the past ten years, I’ve had the good fortune of working with thousands of dentists and the ones that have successfully implemented dental sleep medicine (DSM) utilize the consultative sales process. They may not call it that but they use it. “Sales” can seem like a bad word in dentistry. It connotes this sense of selling elective treatment or procedures that the patient probably doesn’t want and likely doesn’t need. Read more about the consultative sales process from our July edition! CLICK HERE! In the context of this article, “sales” refers to your desire to reach a mutually agreeable solution with your patients. You realize they present with the signs and symptoms of OSA. You want to ensure they get tested and appropriately treated. Why? Because they are your patients and you care about their health. ALL of the research supports a relation- ship between OSA and diabetes. OSA and increased risk of heart attack. OSA and increased risk of stroke. OSA and high blood pressure. You owe it to yourself and your patients to address this issue. You are NOT a used car salesman selling black leather interior to a prospective buyer in the Serengeti. You ARE a health care provider with the information and opportunity to save your patient’s lives. Your patients know you. They trust you. You have a solution for these patients. You possess the knowledge to improve their quality of life. You have the experience and treatment modality to potentially add years to their lives. Don’t feel guilty about this. Harness it, share it with your team, and subsequently, with your patients. Everyone wins.