WHOLE YOU
THE HUMAN-CENTRIC MINDSET
L
& DSM SUCCESS
ast month we, Whole
You, had the opportunity to
organize a panel discussion
amongst experienced Dental
Sleep Medicine professionals
from across the U.S. We wanted
to know what made their
businesses so successful, what
motivated them to implement
dental sleep medicine, persist,
and ultimately succeed despite
the inherent obstacles.
What we learned was that their
success and its rewards had
much more to do with a human-
centric mindset than medical
billing success or market
demographics. Read on to get a
glimpse into the mindset of DSM
Success.
Q1: Is there any
difference between
the satisfaction you
feel with restorative
dentistry and dental
sleep medicine?
Dr. Wilson: As a general dentist,
my favorite procedures were
crown and bridge. I found it very
meditative, but now my favorite
procedure to do as a general
dentist is honestly the initial
exam; getting to see the patient,
talk to them, find out their
motivations, what’s going on in
their life, in their world.
I take the time to discover how
I can make them live their life
better, help them identify issues
they may have been unaware
of. Through this process, you
begin to see people as a whole,
and you’re not just looking at
teeth, at decay, or perio. You’re
looking at so much more. This
is especially true when it comes
to dental sleep medicine. There
are so many risk factors they’re
not aware of, and many times we
can help them live a better life
the rest of their life.
Lesia: Yes. Patients get to sleep
with their spouses again, they
get to travel again, they feel
better. Helping them feeds my
soul.
Dr. Doucette: There’s nothing
more gratifying or satisfying in
dentistry or in life than treating
a dental sleep patient.
I’ve never experienced that
feeling of personal satisfaction
from all the full mouth rehabs
and dentures I’ve ever done. I
never thought when I got into
this four years ago that I’d be
saying I might be laying my
hand piece down because I love
surgery.
“I love general dentistry
and now the
struggle is
because I’m
so passionate
about sleep
and the more
I learn, the
more I want
to know, and
I can’t get
enough.”