BRANDIE HAVELL
DSM NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
I
t’s the time of year when
nearly everyone commits
to a new and improved
version of themselves. Gym
memberships skyrocket. I
will lose weight. April rolls
around, the gym is nearly
empty, and you gained 12 lbs
during the holidays. You’re
actually in worse shape
than before. I’ve heard too
many dentists tell me they’re
going to make Dental Sleep
Medicine a more integral
part of your practice at some
nebulous time in the new
year with some vague path
to get there. No, you’re not.
That’s not how it works.
However, there are some
among us that have
repeatedly demonstrated
their ability to set goals,
map the path, and habitually
achieve success. I asked
them what their 2019 New
Year’s Resolutions are. I
hope they inspire you to
set meaningful goals, take
intentional action, and
achieve.
Erin Elliott,
DDS
I usually skip New Year’s
resolutions for 2 reasons:
1. Everyone is doing it. My
gym locker room that I go
to all year long at 5:30am is
teeming with people in the
beginning of the year. I don’t
get frustrated when there is
no mirror space because I
know the crowd will thin out
in a few weeks time (and I’m
not talking their weight).
2. I live by goals all year long.
I don’t need the change of a
calendar year to remind me
what goals I strive toward on
a daily, weekly, monthly and
annual basis.
I’m here in the office on the
last day of the year doing
a lot of sleep appliance
deliveries and reflecting
on our accomplishments. I
incorporated sleep into my
practice 10 years ago and this
has been the best year yet...
and that’s also only working
3 days a week! I don’t share
that to boast but instead to
encourage.
We have had a steady flow of
patients from primary care
providers, sleep physicians,
external marketing and
referrals from patients
we previously treated but
less and less from our own
patient base. Therefore my
focus and resolution this
year will be getting the team
to screen better. I have taken
it for granted that my team
is trained and that we have
sleep apnea top of mind each
day.
But we don’t. Due to
turnover and complacency,
I don’t hear sleep apnea and
sleep disordered breathing
issues discussed with our
recare patients like we
used to. I am committing
non-production time to
re-introducing what to
look for on health histories,
what questions to ask while
updating them (including
any and all OTC medications,
herbs, supplements), and
what dental signs and
symptoms to look for.
Additionally, I will re-
introduce the verbiage and
communication skills to start
a discussion and give my
team confidence that they
DO know the answers.