ASK ABOUT OUR GUARANTEE!
GET HELP NOW!
Sleep Soundly.
Sleep Silently.
Sleep Together.
Questions you should ask when choosing a provider for dental oral appliance therapy…
1. Ask about the doctors & practice
a. Are the dentists qualified for this type of treatment?... As the American Academy of Sleep Medicine states in their guidelines, Dental oral appliances should be fitted by qualified dental personnel who are specifically trained and experienced in the overall health, the temporomandibular joint, dental occlusion and associated oral structures.
b. How long has the practice been treating snoring and OSA issues?
c. Is the greater part of their practice committed to general dentistry?
d. How many offices do they have?
e. Are Saturday appointments available?
f. Are they active members of either the American Academy of Sleep Medicine or the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine?
2. Ask about their relationship with the medical field
a. How many primary care physicians have they consulted with in regards to treating the physician’s personal patients?
b. Do they have interaction with medical specialists and medical “sleep labs”?
c. Do they refer special cases to medical specialists for distinctive forms of treatment?
3. Do they have a detailed treatment protocol?
a. What if you do not have a current sleep study?
b. Is their initial exam comprehensive...Do they test and evaluate your airways? Do they provide x-rays of your airways and TMJ? Do they complete a full oral exam (soft tissue & dental)?
c. Do they incorporate study models and bite registration?
d. After the delivery of the appliance do they schedule a follow-up appointment where they check your oxygen saturation level?
e. Are they readily available for any questions and possible additional adjustments?
f. Do they know what to do if there are TMJ or facial muscle complications?
g. Do they refer you back to the lab for a follow-up sleep study to verify the success of the treatment?
4. Insurance & Payment
a. Do they accept medical insurance?
b. Will they provide you with “real” estimates of any required co-pay?
c. Do they accept Medicare?
d. Are payment plans available?
5. Practice patient data and testimonials
a. Does the practice have verified patient data for your review?
b. Are there testimonials from patients with their full names and locations?
This may seem like a lot of questions one should ask in choosing a provider for dental sleep medicine, but is it?
Treatment with oral appliances is a lot more than just producing an appliance, delivering the appliance and saying “thanks and good luck.” Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are serious conditions and the treatment should be too. With anything less than the treatment protocol we adhere to, problems may arise and some may have lifelong consequences that can be avoided.
At the end of the day we are talking about an area that has direct effect on your overall health.
We are the leader in the industry and there are many reasons for this. Oral appliance therapy is not an “add on” to our practice. It is our practice.