Today we got a three-fer at MedicalNewsToday.com: Three articles on sleep disorders and how treatment relates to the dental field. Topics covered included dental students ill prepared to treat sleep apnea, sleep disorders hard to diagnose in kids, and nasendoscopy in predicting treatment results. More and more, we’re hearing about sleep disorder treatment by dentists – probably because an estimated 70 million Americans have a sleep disorder and about 20 million have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Many of these folks hate the CPAP. Today, dentists can offer a simple, non-invasive, comfortable alternative with OAT (oral appliance therapy).

Just checkout this post excerpt from the Sleepnet.com message board:

I have just been diagnosed with mild sleep apnea within the last month. I had two sleep studies done. One with and one without the CPAP machine. Since my diagnosis I have been given the CPAP for a one month trial. I am depressed, angry and frustrated. Everyone keeps telling me to just use the CPAP machine. I am using it for the one month trial because my insurance company requires it. I have already had trouble with the machine.

Why bring sleep apnea treatment into your dental practice?

Information about Dental Treatment for Sleep Disorders

If you’ve not yet studied sleep medicine outside of the 2.5 hours you received in your four years of dental school, start with the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine…they’re “Expanding the Science of Dentistry”

What does Frank Sinatra have to do with your practice? Follow his lead and you may see your case acceptance numbers rise dramatically. Using the Sinatra Principle, Ken Runkle presents 4 Proven Steps to increasing case acceptance that will have more patients saying “Yes!” right away.

Read the entire article.

Listen to the companion audio portion at The Paragon Podcast.

These days, access to information is everything. For dentists, practice marketing in the Internet age is evolving constantly and quickly. TNT Dental, the premier dental website and marketing company, has taken dental marketing to the next level with TNT.mobile.

It’s all about the apps.

Fact: In only nine months, iPod app downloads topped one billion.

What is an app?

App is short for application. A website app is a downloadable version of a website that’s completely user friendly on a cell phone that has Internet capability.

Dr. Lance Timmerman of Seattle has a custom website with TNT Dental. The website features email contact forms, a blog by Dr. Timmerman, video introductions by the dentist, a before-and-after gallery, and many other cutting-edge features that promote conversion – turning web visitors into active patients.

Always on top of state-of-the-art marketing trends, Dr. Timmerman now has a practice website application from TNT.mobile.

Check it out:

Want a TNT.mobile app of your own?

It’s simple. Just call TNT Dental at 877-868-4932 for details. TNT Dental is your Internet marketing partner, and the folks there are anxious to take your practice to the next level!

On the Internet these days, videos are a hit. YouTube is the second largest search engine on the planet. If you’re not using video testimonials on your website, you’re missing out on potential customers. For years, marketers have known that the best advertising is word of mouth. Good patients usually refer other good patients. That in itself is reason enough to invest in some good video testimonial for your website. But wait, there’s more:

Video testimonials seem real.

In the post “Why Testimonials Do (and Don’t) Work,” Holly Buchanan of Future Now tells us that testimonials hurt your marketing strategy if people don’t think they’re real.

How’s this for “real?” Dr. Harry Chambers of Oregon, a Gresham dentist, has a great example of video testimonials on his website by TNT Dental. The videos depict his real patients in his real practice telling their real stories.

Video testimonials can answer the right questions.

At www.yesmediaworks.com, The Video Marketing Blog tells us that the best video testimonials are case studies, which, in a causal form, is the style Dr. Chambers instituted on his Gresham dentistry website. The patients in his testimonials answered key questions that the viewer (the potential patient) wanted answered. Like, for instance, What problems did Dr. Chambers’ patient have with his or her mouth? What were the obstacles that kept him or her from solving the problems? How did Dr. Chambers address and correct the problem? Was the patient satisfied?

Video testimonials show and tell.

In your college writing courses, you probably heard “show, don’t tell.” Want better advice? Do both. Video testimonials tell the whole story – right from the patient’s mouth. A viewer feels like he’s sitting in your office, chatting it up with one of your very pleased patients. He feels a connection to the person on his computer screen and, according to studies, over 70% of the time, people believe online reviews or testimonials about services and products.

Let’s look at Dr. Chambers’ videos again. The featured patients are your average American folks who needed a dentist in Gresham, Oregon to solve their problems. They aren’t rich. They aren’t famous… and neither are your patients. Video testimonials seem friendly and genuine – because they are.

So how can you get video testimonials?

You have a few options here. First, you can record the videos yourself, or train someone on your staff to do it for you. Dr. Larry Emmott offers great tips on his blog here.

If you don’t want to hassle with buying equipment, you could use a service, like VSling by Smile Reminder.

And if you really don’t want ANY hassle, hire a videographer and have an after-hours party – a wine tasting or hors d’oeuvres event – during the video shoot. Invite your favorite patients as honorees and enjoy yourself while someone else shoots the video. Simply have your videographer clean up the videos and send them to your web company for inclusion on your site. It can be that simple.

Human molar scaffold by Dr. Mao of Columbia University Medical Center

Here at DentalBlogs, we were giddy to bring you news about scientists making prosthetic sheep bones from wicker. We thought that might have been the absolute coolest thing ever. We jumped up and down while typing blog posts (thank goodness for spell check) that told you about stem cells that promote implant stabilization. We love to bring you exciting news from the world of dentistry every day. But nothing – nothing – has tickled our fancy as much as the new report from Columbia University Medical Center.

The recipe for re-growing a tooth is as follows:

In an animal study, this recipe has shown success in growing a fully integrated, new, natural tooth in place of a missing tooth. In addition, alveolar bone and periodontal ligaments grew to support the tooth. The only outside substance required for the procedure is the human molar scaffold [pictured], made from natural materials.

The research conducted by Dr. Jeremy Mao and his team was published in the Journal of Dental Research. Dr. Mao hopes that this discovery will lead to a cost-effective alternative to pricey dental implants, as well as a practical option for people who are not good candidates for implants.

SOURCE: http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/news/press_releases/MAOtooth.html