With the release of a new hypertension guideline that includes advice on sleep apnea and new policy from the American Dental Association on obstructive sleep apnea screening for dentists, it is important to find ways to stand out from other practices. The first step in doing this is deciding to offer dental sleep medicine services. And if you are thinking about it now, you’re one step in the right direction!

Once you have decided to offer these services, you will need to complete continuing education courses and lectures to ensure you are able to provide your patients with proper care, as well as how to implement these services at your dental practice. To help you get going, here are some steps you can take to implement dental sleep medicine into your dental practice.

Complete continuing education

Once you have made the decision to offer dental sleep medicine services, it is important to start your education. This will help you to establish a practice that offers the best care possible.

Just as you completed dental school, you will need to do the same with dental sleep medicine. This will include lectures, seminars and shadowing and experienced dental sleep medicine specialist. No matter what, you are getting the experience and knowledge you need to provide superior care for your patients.

Maintain open communication

By integrating dental sleep medicine into your practice, it requires new behaviors and ways of adapting—especially through the words you use. Pay close attention to how you describe your service. Using the wrong words can deter patients away from your office and new services, so make sure you word your content appropriately. Everyone in your office should have a solid understanding of what dental sleep medicine is, who can benefit, how it works, and why it is so important.

And, with that comes being fluent in dental sleep medicine so that everyone can describe it to patients without hesitation. The future of dental sleep medicine is a bright one. With numerous opportunities to provide value through improved patient care, your options are endless, so take charge as soon as possible.

Remember, anything is possible and if you put your mind and energy into this, your practice has the opportunity to be extremely successful.