Solstice Provider Blog

It is estimated that 90 million or more Americans snore and about 30 million suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA causes both physical and emotional issues that go beyond just the patient, but impact the entire family. Symptoms that are experienced as a result of OSA and Sleep Disordered Breathing Syndromes (SDB) include:

Which of the five senses do people worry about losing the most? Vision. When talking with your patients, it’s important to remind them about taking good care of their vision. Without vision, life becomes infinitely more challenging. In addition to the loss of independence, vision loss can also lead to:

March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month, which is a time to raise awareness about standard eye safety protocols, review training for employees that involves eye safety in the workplace and double check that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements are being met by places of work. As an eye care provider, this is a good time to talk with your patients about keeping their eyes safe at work.

Patient Safety Awareness Week, a campaign of the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), is March 13-19, 2016.  The goal of the program is to increase awareness of patient safety among healthcare professionals and the general public.  What can your office do to support a safety-first experience?

As an eye care provider, you are very knowledgeable about diseases, diagnoses, and treatments. Your patients, however, may never have even heard of the names of eye diseases before. To patients, the names may sound quite scary. Vision literacy allows your patients to stay informed and ensure they fully understand their options. Keep in mind the following tips for providing your patients with vision literacy.

As a dentist, you know your role in some people’s lives is the stuff of nightmares. Over a million Americans suffer from odontophobia, a fear of the dentist, and more than half avoid dental care because of it. In previous decades, people who had a fear of dental work or simply didn’t have access to care would resort to home remedies to curb their pain, such as using clove oil to soothe an achy tooth. Occasionally, people would attempt tooth extractions in extreme circumstances. These days, what was once a “case by case” issue has become a widespread phenomenon, largely due to the broad reach of the internet. Searching Google or YouTube for “DIY Dentist” yields literally thousands of articles, websites and videos all promising to help users “fix” their teeth without the aid of a dentist. The trend seems to have initially risen to popularity overseas in Great Britain, however more and more Americans are resorting to these risky methods. Here are three popular, but dangerous, DIY dentistry trends:

While new technology can be costly, there is no denying that its impact on patient retention is a positive. Whether a piece of tech saves you time, increases the comfort level of odontophobic patients or yields the best results compared to traditional methods, investing in some of the following devices and tools can lead to big business in the long run!

OSHA is in the process of updating their guidelines. Here’s a quick overview of what’s on the table for improvements to keep your office safety compliant:

Being an ethical dentist is not only the right thing to do; in the long run, it is also the most lucrative thing to do! Patients are more likely to return to your practice when they feel comfortable with and trust you and your staff. But, before you can ask a patient to trust you, you have to be trustWORTHY. Here are some tips on establishing trust with your patients and promoting excellent doctor-patient relationships.

The biggest challenge you may face as a dentist is patient retention. Although it is vital to the success of your practice and an important part of whole body health, many people dislike undergoing dental treatments and oral health often falls by the wayside.