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MD: I can personally vouch for your courses, they are all extremely practical, so I personally recommend
your courses as a great jumping off point for most dentists. But you said the Academy has some as well?
BR: Yes, the Academy has them as well. You should join the Academy and get to work towards your
certification and practice within the guidelines of the Academy. But I honestly think that if dentists
really embrace this and start talking to pulmonologists or sleep center specialists in their area and
work with the medical profession, that they’re going to have a very successful practice, and it’s going
to impact the bottom line very positively. It’s a great service and it’s great knowing that you’re
helping people live longer and you’re improving their quality of life. Although snoring and sleep
apnea is more prevalent among males, I also have some female patients with these sleep disorders.
One particular female patient was excessively tired and extremely depressed because her husband
would not sleep with her due to her snoring problems. When I fabricated an oral appliance for
her, it literally changed her life. She stopped snoring, her daytime sleepiness disappeared, and she
went off her depression medication. Her husband came back to the bedroom and she felt loved
again. The first month after inserting the oral appliance she jumped out of the dental chair, gave
me a big hug and said, “Thanks for giving me my life back.” It’s nice to make money and it’s nice
to have a successful practice, but it’s extremely rewarding to do it by helping people. And your lab
does that by fabricating oral appliances for our patients. Your lab also provides education to dentists
through your Chairside Magazine and I think it’s a valuable service that you’re providing.
MD: It’s funny you mention that because I think every dentist has had some experience with a crown
and bridge case or veneer case where the patient was so happy she cried and she gave the dentist a hug.
But I’ll tell you just what I’ve seen from doing all types of dentistry, there’s a lot more hugs and a lot
more gratitude on the part of the sleep apnea patients, the patient who has felt like crud and run down
and is falling asleep during the day and worried they’re going to kill somebody else when driving. And
now, all of a sudden, they feel good again and they remember what it felt like to actually feel good on a
daily basis.
BR: Well, particularly if it’s 15 to 30 percent of the adult population that has the problem. I think if
you just get all of your snoring patients to fill out the Epworth Sleepiness Scale you will see this is
true. The other thing is that it’s a good idea to get his wife to fill it out too, because sometimes men
will underestimate how sleepy they are, and the wives will always score higher. At the consultation
appointment the women will frequently say to their husbands, “What do you mean you don’t
fall asleep in front of the TV? You fall asleep every night in front of the TV!” The cardiologists are
starting to get involved now, and they’re seeing a significant increase in cardiovascular diseases. It
appears there’s a definite correlation between CVD and sleep apnea, so we need to get in there and
get these people screened faster and treated faster. That’s why I think these overnight sleep studies
are going to go over well and be much more cost-effective than going for the overnight sleep study
at the hospital for mild to moderate cases.
MD: Well, you know, these sleep apnea patients are kind of the lost segment of the population that are
different from some of the high visibility diseases like hypertension, diabetes and cancer, for example.
Those get a lot of dollars and tons of ad space. Sleep apnea is relatively quiet, but unfortunately, it kills
its fair share of people, so I think you’re absolutely right: It’s a great thing for your practice but more importantly,
it’s a great thing for your patients. It’s been a pleasure Brock, thanks for your time!
To contact Dr. Brock Rondeau, call 877-372-7625, visit www.rondeauseminars.com, or e-mail brondeau@rondeauseminars.com.
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