COVERstory drivers, servicemen and dozens of other sleep critical professions to confirm they are following guidelines and treatment recommendations. PAP devices work well when the patient wears them. Recent studies suggest that five nights a week and four hours per night do not have the intended outcomes. Evolving applications, new technologies and innovative designs will help more doctors treat the growing number of OSA patients. “Dental” achievements, such as a healthy periodontium, with excellent implant restorations and naturally esthetic porcelain, are trumped by improper airway management. We stand on the front lines as systemic health issues, dentistry and precision medicine come together. A long time ago, dentistry learned to quit extracting teeth and battled decay instead. We then grew to understand that losing well-restored teeth to bone loss was not productive. More recently, we have become adept at managing the forces of occlusion. Today, an airway centric approach is guiding the medical decisions of general practitioners, orthodontists and oral surgeons. As my good friend, Dr. Michael Gelb, says, “Airway trumps everything.” We can go 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, but only 3 minutes without air. 24 hours without sleep has the same effect as being drunk. Multiple nights with poor sleep have physiologic consequences throughout the body. Sleep Matters!
The Dream Team
Having a great appliance, advancing the mandible predictably, patient comfort and fast turnaround are table stakes to get into the game of medical device manufacturing today. Digital platforms have a distinct advantage over analog today. We will see an increase in digital solutions, platforms, manufacturers and appliances. Dentistry has and will always be about the people: You, your team, the patients and the various vendors, lab and medical device manufacturers you partner with. At ProSomnus Sleep Technologies, we design devices that make it easier for dentists to optimize health outcomes for patients. It is more than just AHI. It is more than just being easy for the dentist to use. It is about making a device that patients will use. It is about ease of use. It is about convenience. Success in the patient’s hands and in your practice. A real partnership.
part-ner; noun. a person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others, especially in a business or company with shared risks and profits. Interesting definition indeed. Shared risks and profits is something that often doesn’t show up in every partnership. Vendor partners should be involved in helping you in many ways: Providing patient education materials and opportunities, Shortening treatment time, Team training about sleep, Customized appliance manufacturing, Shared financial success and Volume rebates. At ProSomnus Sleep Technologies we have assembled top drawer leaders in design, manufacturing and education in dental sleep medicine. With an Engineer, a Material Science PhD, a Dentist with over 25 years experience in sleep, a Marketing and Education Director who is second to none, a CEO with incredible leadership and passion, and several technical support, sales, manufacturing and fulfillment people, we indeed have the Dream Team. dream team; noun. a team or group whose members are among the most qualified or talented in their fields. At ProSomnus, we have a diverse group of highly skilled people, dedicated to your success and the fulfillment of this preferred future vision for dental sleep medicine. Every patient encounter, even routine dental care, should be examined with airway centric eyes and treatment plans. If you have been frustrated with a ‘one design fits all’ approach, delayed patient treatment or unresponsive device manufacturers, reach out to ProSomnus. The Future is Bright. Sleep Matters!
Dentistry has and will always be about the people: You, your team, the patients and the various vendors, lab and medical device manufacturers you partner with.
With no metal parts, less overall volume and a lingualess design, the MicrO2 raises the bar for patient comfort, safety and effectiveness in OAT.
Mark T. Murphy, DDS, FAGD, is Lead Faculty for Clinical Education at ProSomnus, serves on the Guest Faculty at the University of Detroit Mercy, is a Regular Presenter on Business Development, Practice Management and Leadership at the Pankey Institute and is the Principal of Funktional Consulting. He has served on the Boards of Directors of the Pankey Institute, National Association of Dental Laboratories, the Identalloy Council, the Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology, St. Vincent DePaul’s Dental Center and the Dental Advisor. He lectures internationally on Leadership, Practice Management, Communication, Case Acceptance, Planning, Occlusion, Sleep and TMD. He has a knack for presenting pertinent information in an entertaining manner.
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