Jason Tierney, Connector - Wordsmith - Runner

I hosted a ton of Dental Sleep CE events. Most attendees only cared about which appliances to use and how to get medical insurance to pay for treatment. I stressed that without an efficient screening program, a fluid referral system, and a repeatable testing workflow, the appliances and billing don’t matter because patients have to go through those other sections of the journey first. Most ignored me while salivating over sample appliances and room temperature fettucine. When you R.E.A.D. the room, the first two steps pose the greatest challenge for the majority of dentists: 1. RELATE 2. EXPLORE The third…

hat’s going to happen if I buy a pair of Jordans, shoot free throws a couple hours each month, and read a bunch of books about basketball? Will I be the next Michael Jordan? What about Scottie Pippen? Realistically, I wouldn’t even hold a Bed Bath & Beyond going-out-of-business-candle to Toni Kukoc.

patients are icebergs. Successful dentists and their teams are experts at exploring beneath the surface. I’m not talking about instruments here. I’m talking about asking questions that encourage patients to share useful information which can uncover more opportunities.

At this year’s AADSM meeting, there was a big hullabaloo about dentists, ENTs, and scope of practice. Device manufacturers pilloried each other, and impotent jabs were thrown via social media comments. In a nutshell, a successful ENT group was collaborating with dentists to treat patients with oral appliances. Sounds like every sleep dentists’ dream, right?

“When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it. That’s when you can get more creative in solving problems.” —Steven Covey One or more of the Four Obstacles to Selling pop up when a sleep patient opts not to move forward with oral appliance therapy, when a physician says they won’t refer PAP failures to your practice, and when the guy in your chair is built like a linebacker with a 19 inch neck and completely flattened cusp tips, but he declines your recommendation for a sleep test. The only way to…

Back in the day, I worked at a dental lab that manufactured oral appliances. Like a Bill Murray-less Groundhog Day, the customer service team called dentists to get feedback about their first cases. Dentists raved about how the patient’s spouse thanked them with hugs, cookies, or the whole Sentimental Value Meal. “It was the easiest thing I’ve done as a dentist, and they were both so damn happy. By the way, what do other dentists normally charge for these things?” “It varies, but it’s usually between $3,000 and $6,000,” the rep answered. “WHAT?! Are you kidding me? That seems criminal.…

STRANGER DANGER, SQUARE PEGS, AND EMPTY PROMISES “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”  —George Bernard Shaw Lately, when you’re not working, you’re ferrying kids from practice to rehearsal and dropping them off at sleepovers and playdates. All the kids. All the equipment. You decide it’s time to acquire a new minivan, and you meet Pat, a salesperson at the car dealership. Buckle up. Pat’s about to take you for a ride through the four obstacles to selling.  THE FOUR OBSTACLES TO SELLING Stranger Danger: Pat’s appearance is disheveled: partially untucked polo shirt…

It takes a village to raise a child. This African proverb is apropos when looking at my new book, TRANSFORM DENTAL SLEEP: The Step-by-Step Guide to Doubling Your Sleep Patients, Increasing Physician Referrals, Simplifying Processes, and Improving Your Life. I’m not suggesting that this book is as meaningful as a child or that it’s development was as challenging as childbirth. It certainly felt like it at times. Instead, I am asserting that this book is the result of input from many contributors in the Dental Sleep Medicine village. Their Words of Wisdom (W.O.W.) are inserted throughout the book to drive…

A good friend of mine who happens to be a dentist just finished reading my book. Afterward, she called to provide some feedback. She dove into it before I even had a chance for nervousness. “I’ve already used a few of the techniques you mentioned, and they totally worked. The book is so funny and it’s really the kick in the @$$ so many of us need.” I took a seat and took it in as my face blushed the color of a ripened tomato. Just as quickly as she launched into her live Amazon review love-fest (by the  way,…

THE 100 CLUB In 2015, Frost and Sullivan, a respected market research firm, published a report on the state of the sleep field and its forecast for the next five years—basically where we are today. Their data crunchers noted that only 100 dentists—what I’ll call “The 100 Club”—were responsible for approximately 32 percent of the custom appliances prescribed in the U.S. each year. It also divined that, by the time you read this, more than 3 million appliances would be delivered annually. They missed the bullseye. Hell, they missed the entire target. The ADA estimates the number of general dentists…