The 4-Step Sleep Apnea Workflow

Sleep apnea is commonly discussed in dentistry. I remember visiting dentistry forums in the 2000s—way before social media was even a term—and reading success stories of other dentists with dental sleep. I added sleep in our practice, but to say we had an adequate run would be an overstatement. My team had to abandon it in 2010 because the business model we had wasn’t the right fit at the time. It wasn’t until I listened to a podcast five years later when I decided to get dental sleep back in my practice. We had professionals teach us the ropes, and the rest is history.

Today, I share the story of how I came to include sleep in my practice and why it wasn’t a good fit right away. I recount when I removed dental sleep from my practice, when I decided to get it back, and what went right the second time. I explain what the 4-step workflow is and how we developed it. I discuss my thoughts on referrals, medical insurance, and digital impressions. I also share what I want my practice to become in the near future.

"The four steps are awareness, diagnoses, financial, then treatment." - Tarun Agarwal

This week on T-Bone Speaks Dentistry Podcast:

• When I started doing sleep apnea
• The struggles I encountered when I first started with sleep apnea
• What made me decide to get back into sleep apnea
• How we developed our 4-step workflow
• My thoughts on referrals when it comes to sleep apnea
• Why you should outsource medical insurance 
• My advice to practices that can't find a sleep champion
• Why Liz is my practice's sleep champion
• The importance of digital impressions and the required tools
• Why I only use devices made digitally and what my favorite devices are
• What I envision for the future of my sleep department

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "Awareness falls a lot on the hygenist." - Tarun Agarwal
• "Nobody wants to be the person always doing something somebody else hates." - Tarun Agarwal
• "I firmly believe in a digital device perspective. I only use devices made digitally." - Tarun Agarwal

Resources Mentioned:

• OptiSleep
• ProSomnus
• Avant
• Course Register: Call toll-free - (855) 332 2285

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