The letter C is for...?

The topic of conversation this week between myself and my small (but mighty!) team of 2 was....COLLABORATION. Just like I network with and refer to other specialists in dentistry when my patients need certain skills to address their concerns, the same goes for my sleep apnea and TMD patients.

But this is where a barrier to continuous care can come up. The lack of COMMUNICATION and COLLABORATION between dentists and other medical professionals is a big concern. No particular party deserves all the blame for why this is the case because, quite frankly, it's the fault of everyone involved. And patients can be caught in the crosshairs.

I tell my patients point blank that I NEED the help of other clinicians to manage their OSA (or TMD) and that I cannot do everything all by myself with a single device.

This is why my team and I have been working tirelessly on establishing points of contact with all of the clinicians our patients consent for us to communicate with, sharing what we are doing and what OUR patient is wanting to accomplish with treatment.

And as a topic preview of my next post, patient CHOICE is a huge motivating factor for an interdisciplinary approach to care...which is super important for patient COMPLIANCE...

Or maybe the letter C is just for Cookie?