GUEST POST BY BARRY GLASSMAN, DMD: LEARNING, UNLEARNING & RELEARNING
A note from Jason: Dr. Barry Glassman is an iconoclast, a contrarian, and committed seeker of the truth. The world is his classroom, and his emphasis on evidence over emotions can rub some corporate interests the wrong way. I get it. He’s actually one of my friends, and he gives me a headache once a week. Sometimes it’s because he’s unwrapped the significance of new clinical research and other times it’s because he’s looking at received knowledge in ways some view as heretical. Other times it’s due to a quip in an orthodontist’s basement in Kansas. That’s a story for another day. —Jason Tierney
Toffler suggested that “the illiterate of the 20th century won’t be those who can’t read or write, but those who can’t learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Unlearning “facts” that have been cemented via confirmation bias is very difficult for us dentists whose basic training in the science did NOT include the scientific method. This is not our fault. It is the fault of dental education. So much of what we have learned is through empirical evidence; information handed down from previous generations of dentists that quite simply lacks any scientific validity. A non-responder with oral appliance therapy does not represent a clinical error on the dentist’s part any more than a patient who doesn’t respond to a specific drug represents a clinical error on the physician’s part. Accepting this is critically important to success in dental sleep medicine.
Our goal is to create a patient-centric model based on good evidence that emphasizes conservative treatment and properly uses an intelligently based risk benefit decision quotient.
Learning the principles of evidence-based medicine is the first step on a journey toward “truth.” This knowledge leads to immediate skepticism of anecdotally based concepts. What gurus “believe” is not important. What matters is the preponderance of quality evidence.
Incorporating the philosophical tenets of Miguel Ruiz’s Four Agreements has proven to be extremely helpful in a positive change to a better practice model. Learning to be impeccable with your word and truly honest with patients while setting appropriate expectations makes the practice of dental sleep medicine nearly stress-free and ultimately much more rewarding. Learning to listen to patients and not to take anything personally, not making assumptions about others, and doing your best all contribute to a healthy attitude, improved patient and physician relationships, and an increased ability to guide your patients to their best potential outcomes without fear of failure.
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Dr. Glassman’s words of wisdom are excerpted from my book, Transform Dental Sleep: The Step-by-Step Guide to Doubling Your Sleep Patients, Increasing Physician Referrals, Simplifying Processes, & Improving Your Life. Order your copy with this link. It lives up to the title.
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