Lessons Learned and Lives Changed

3 Mistakes to Avoid When Launching a Dental Sleep Medicine Practice

For Dr. Anjoo Ely, dentistry has always been about more than the general practice, but rather, making a difference and changing peoples’ lives. Since graduating from the University of Michigan in 1997, she has dedicated herself to patient care, but it wasn’t until she discovered dental sleep medicine that she found her true calling.

Her journey into this field was both professional and personal. A 2013 continuing education course on sleep apnea, hosted by Nierman Practice Management, opened her eyes to the dangers of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Through that course, she started to think about the symptoms her late father was exhibiting. Looking back, she now believes her father, who ending up passing away at the age of 54, was a victim of undiagnosed sleep apnea.

“He snored loudly, choked, and gasped in his sleep. But back then, sleep apnea wasn’t even a recognized disease,” Dr. Anjoo Ely recalls.

This realization fueled a new mission in her career: to help others identify and treat sleep disorders before it was too late.

Today, her practice is one of the most successful dental sleep practices in the country, with roughly 70% of her practice devoted to sleep patients, but the road to success wasn’t without its challenges. Here, Dr. Ely shares three mistakes dentists make when launching a dental sleep practice – and strategies you can implement to avoid hurdles.

Mistake #1: Not Building a Strong Team Culture Around Dental Sleep Medicine

Problem: Many dentists struggle to get their teams on board with dental sleep medicine. Without a team that understands and believes in the value of sleep apnea treatment, implementation can feel like an uphill battle.

Solution: Dr. Ely knew she needed her team to be just as passionate as she was. Instead of simply training them on protocols, she made it personal. She encouraged team members to think about their own family members who might have sleep apnea and got them evaluated. When they saw firsthand how treatment transformed the lives of their loved ones, it ignited their passion.

By aligning her team around a shared mission, Dr. Ely created an environment where the dental sleep medicine workflow became second nature.

“By the time I come into the room, my hygienists have already planted the seeds about airway issues,” she explains. “They are well-educated and can begin the conversation, which makes my job easier.”

Dr. Ely says without a team that understands and supports dental sleep medicine, dentists could be faced with struggles to get patients engaged in the discussion and willing to move forward with treatment. That’s why building a strong culture around dental sleep medicine is key.

“It’s not necessarily me asking all the questions – it’s about reassuring what my hygienist has already suggested. When patients feel that multiple team members are knowledgeable and concerned about their sleep health, they become much more receptive,” Dr. Ely said.

Investing in team education and ensuring that everyone understands their role in the process can significantly improve patient acceptance rates.

Mistake #2: Not Establishing a Physician Referral Network Early On

Problem: Unlike general dentistry, dental sleep medicine relies heavily on physician collaboration. Many dentists struggle to gain referrals from medical professionals, limiting their patient flow and discouraging them from staying in the sleep field.

Solution: Dr. Ely took a proactive approach. Instead of waiting for referrals, she built relationships with local physicians by positioning herself as an expert, sending narrative reports, and setting up in-person meetings.

Included in her recommendations is creating a dedicated sleep brand. Having a separate website just for sleep, distinct from your general dentistry site, helps establish credibility and makes it easier for patients and referring doctors to find you.

“You have to be willing to put yourself out there. You have to be willing to knock on doors and shake hands with physicians,” Dr. Ely said. “When I opened my general practice, the endodontist and oral surgeon who personally introduced themselves to me are still the ones I refer to today. That experience taught me that if I want to succeed in sleep medicine, I need to do the same.”

Dr. Ely explains she had success with dropping research packets off to local physicians to break the ice before setting up lunch-and-learns and other meetings.

“So, if I want to try and get to meet, say, a primary care physician, I might drop off a couple of articles about sleep apnea, blood pressure, something that’s in their wheelhouse to get their attention, and then try and get a meeting with that doctor.”

But beyond in-person meetings, Dr. Ely emphasizes the power of narrative reports as a marketing tool for staying in front of physicians and generating referrals. Dr. Ely says sending narrative SOAP reports to mutual providers has kept her name in front of them and has allowed her to maintain a steady flow of referrals.

“I get referrals every day from doctors that I say, well, who is this? And I realize, oh, yeah, there’s somebody that I sent a letter to because they’re in my database in DentalWriter. Now here they are sending me a patient. I didn’t do anything to woo them into referring them to me, but they’ve seen my name, and they know that I treated another one of their patients and now know what I do.”

Having a repeatable system, Dr. Ely says, is key in helping the overall process.

“If you have a trusted software like DentalWriter, you can have those letters easily created for you and ready to fax to all the healthcare providers that a patient sees. That’s probably the most valuable tool that contributed to my success,” Dr. Ely said.

Mistake # 3: Not recognizing the Link Between TMD and Sleep Apnea

Problem: Dr. Ely says many dentists when starting out in the dental sleep medicine field don’t realize the connection between TMD and sleep apnea. This frame of thinking unfortunately can impact treatment outcomes.

Solution: One unexpected discovery in Dr. Ely’s early days of dental sleep medicine has been the connection between temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) and sleep apnea. Over time, she says she saw a strong overlap – many sleep apnea patients also suffered from jaw pain, bruxism, or TMJ issues. Instead of viewing TMD as a roadblock to oral appliance therapy, she embraced it, integrating it into her sleep evaluations, leading to more comprehensive patient care.

“One of my mentors is Dr. Mayoor Patel, who I consider a dear friend. I used to think, gosh, why does he have to make it so difficult and go so deeply into the connection between TMD and sleep apnea, you know? But he was wiser than I was. And so, after doing this for many years, you start to realize that a lot of these patients are the same patients. About 52% of sleep apnea patients have some form of TMD,” said Dr. Ely.

Takeaway: Passion, Patience, and Persistence

Dr. Ely believes that the road to success in this field all comes down to keeping that passion alive. She says staying focused, and having a plan will make a world of a difference as you embark on this journey. Most importantly though, Dr. Ely says it’s important to remember that success doesn’t happen overnight. Consistent outreach, team training, and patient education are key.

“The secret ingredient really is passion. If you have that mindset to want to make this work and become an airway centric practice, you have to commit yourself to consistent and continuous learning.”

Looking back, Dr. Ely sees dental sleep medicine is more than just an addition to her practice – it’s a mission to save lives. What started as a personal realization about her father’s undiagnosed condition has grown into a thriving practice that helps countless patients breathe, sleep, and live better.

For those considering this path, she leaves one final thought for dentists to consider:

“Physicians need us. What are they going to do with their CPAP failures or their patients that don’t want to try CPAP? You’re giving them an option. You’re allowing them to practice cutting-edge sleep medicine. And that’s what I’ve been continuously told by the doctors I work with. They look at me and say, “You make me better.” We are an asset to these physicians, and we have to start realizing that.” Dr. Anjoo Ely said.