Posted March 19, 2014
Nocturnal Bruxsim devices are things most dental offices do. If we ignore the TMJ ramifications, we at least know that these can really help patients that are grinding their teeth down and breaking them due to grinding at night. A fun fact is that, in some cases, the patient’s medical insurance can help cover the cost. I personally have not had a ton of success with dental insurance covering them. So first we start with the patient’s medical. You start with a SOAP note, and yes they are long, to the medical insurer telling them you would like to make a night guard and also take a CBCT. You will then get to speak with a doc or nurse practitioner or their end asking, “Why a CBCT”. I take a scan to evaluate the disk space (not the soft tissue or the disc), the health of the teeth supporting the NG, and the shape of the condyles. If its all good you will get an approval code and you can proceed.
http://www.Digitalenamel.tv
The Dreamgard is a new product that accepts full arch scans via CEREC connect. No models! And also, no opposing arch or bite, which is weird, but roll with me here, it works! You need to do this in CEREC connect. If you goofed, you can export as a .dxd into cerec connect, but just play by the rules. Add Dreamgard as a preferred lab. You will also need to download a lab slip.
After you get it back, delivery is pretty easy. There are 3 grades of hardness in the Dreamgard. Just soak in boiling water for the specified time (in this case 12 s) And have the patient go through excursive movements.
But here is the actual EOB and check. We got over $2500 for the case, $1500 for the Dreamgard and $1000 for the CBCT scan, exam, and interpretation. I love this! My buddy Dr Chris Farrugia lectures with me at Sirona and he has a great quote. “Physicians get paid to think.” So you get paid to read a scan or look at an x-ray. How cool is that! I just do my SOAP note and send it to CODE which is owned by my friend Hootan and you can find his site at http://www.crossoverdental.com!
