WELCOME DOCTOR

Dear Doctor,

Thank your for your interest in the management of sleep disordered breathing patients in your practice. Our laboratory is prepared to assist you in every aspect of that care. The professional rewards associated with managing these patients are unmatched in dentistry. Every patient is a quality of life patient. You will be involved in increasing patients’ lifespan, improving their quality of life, restoring relationships, decreasing their risks of accidental death and injury and engaging in a pleasant shift from the rigors of the conventional day to day practice of dentistry.

We hope you will fully explore the files on this disk to see the variety of options you can have to easily and effectively organize your own approach to patient management. A wide variety of clinic forms have been offered from which you can select, edit, amend or otherwise tailor to your practice style, and then print to your letterhead where appropriate.

There are a variety of philosophies for the management of sleep-disordered breathing. The treatment algorithms offered include those of Dr. Keith Thornton, the inventor and developer of the TAP® adjustable mandibular advancement appliance. These techniques and philosophies are based on the scientific literature and have evolved over a decade of practice in the field. Dr. Thornton is renown for his leadership and innovations in the field of dental sleep medicine. Specific questions regarding those techniques and philosophies should be routed to the contact section of www.tapintosleep.com. See the web links section of this disk.

Slide presentations for the delivery techniques, printable appliance care instructions and others are included on this disk for your convenience. Relevant published literature as well as a bibliography on oral appliance therapy and on sleep disordered breathing in general is provided.

Promotional products for your office are offered. Some customizable ads and brochures for your practice are included as well. The photo album may be helpful in patient education.

We are here to assist you in every aspect of understanding this rapidly emerging field of dentistry. Studies indicate that 6 % of the patients in your practice have obstructive sleep apnea at levels that will cause a shortened lifespan if untreated. It has further been estimated that only 5 % of the disordered has been identified and treated. There’s a lot of work to do. We’re here to help.

The Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (www.dentalsleepmed.org) will be very helpful to you in your practice. Membership can be obtained from that site.

There are many professional resources available to you including membership in the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. A link to their website and others is available on this disk.