Analysis paralysis is a term nearly everyone is familiar with. We analyze, over-analyze, and re-over-analyze. Again.
Even if you hadn’t heard the term before, you’ve experienced it. I certainly have. Many times.This crippling fear-centric behavior is rampant among dental sleep practitioners. It’s an inside joke among non-clinicians and sales reps in the DSM field.
“Which appliance is best?”
“Which billing company should I use if I’m out-of-network, but there’s an in-network physician two towns over and his son is an exceptional hockey player?”
They’ll ask these questions of every single appliance manufacturer and each billing company at the meeting. They’ll take sample appliances, product literature, and your time. All of it. They want it all.
And then…
Equipped with all this cutting-edge information, they opt to table DSM implementation until they learn more. The dentist across the hall from them read an article about snoring and sleep apnea 2 weeks ago, talked to a ProSomnus rep 2 days ago, and she’s already taking scans for her second precision medical device. Good for her. And her patients.
This isn’t a diss. We’ve all fallen prey to this mindset.
When I first started running on trails, I considered purchasing a pair of shoes specifically designed for this type of running. First, I ruminated on whether or not I actually needed them. Then I asked a couple people that ran trails. They highly recommended the purchase. Then I did some Google research. I read more articles, product comparisons, and varying views on what criteria really mattered when purchasing trail shoes. Eventually I made it to the running store, asked some questions, and tried a couple pairs on.
I returned home without making a purchase and repeated the process. Two weeks later I returned to the running store and bought a pair of shoes. I ran in them, and the experience was like the trail running I had been doing but better. I didn’t lose footing, slip down the descents, or crumple when I banged my toe against boulders. The shoes made the process much better, but it was still just running. It wasn’t a whole lot different from what I’d been doing. If I had a time machine, I wouldn’t have wasted 3 weeks combing the internet and pondering every inane detail about toe drops and water resistance levels. Do you know what I would have done with that time? Ran trails.
So, now let me ask you…
Loaded question: Which appliance is best?
Simple answer: The precision appliance that is best for the patient and they’ll actually wear most nights.
That’s it. Are some better than others? Sure, if your patient was confined to a closet for 16 years and is now claustrophobic, a TAP device probably isn’t the way to go. Someone in your chair with lowers they’ve bruxed into nubs? Skip an EMA on that one. That first patient would probably do just fine in an EMA and the severe bruxer would likely flourish in a TAP device. Learn. Do. Repeat. Don’t stop at the first step. Nike sums it up in three words, “Just Do It” or as my Mom has exclaimed for as long as I can remember, “Make It Happen.”
In his brilliant War of Art, Steven Pressfield anthropomorphizes this reluctance to act as The Resistance. He artfully describes situations we’ve all encountered and presents actionable steps to overcome sleep practice-sinking, momentum killing Resistance. You can chalk your caution up as due diligence, and it likely started out that way. But this is a trend that’s consistent throughout your life – you think, analyze, and over-analyze until the opportunity has passed or you’ve snuffed out any meaningful momentum.
Here’s a simple plan. Gather information from no more than 3 sources. Process it. Execute. Evaluate what went well and what didn’t go so well. Pivot as warranted. Repeat. Make it happen.
If you want more details about how to execute more and transform dental sleep in your practice, sign up for my free newsletter here and get in line for a copy off my new book Transform Dental Sleep: The Step-by-Step Guide to Double Your Sleep Patients, Increase Physician Referrals, Simplify Processes, & Improve Your Life. It is available on January 24, 2023, in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle.
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