Doctor and patient talking at a desk

There's now a better way for restorative dentists to explain the Seattle Protocol to airway patients and condylar degeneration to TMD patients, which may lead to increased case acceptance and an enhanced patient co-discovery experience.

“Seattle Protocol” and “TMD Condylar Degeneration” are the latest chairside Patient Education videos added to Spear Online. The “Seattle Protocol” video along with “Nasal Breathing Therapy” are among five airway related Patient Education videos to be released by the end of the year.

Seattle Protocol: This procedure video shows how the Seattle Protocol is used to customize a plan for improved breathing and related dental problems.

As a six-step method used to identify the appropriate dental appliance to improve a patient's breathing-related dental problem, the Seattle Protocol video provides patients with a high-level understanding of the protocol steps and its value in customizing treatment for airway dysfunction contributing to dental issues like:

  • Nighttime tooth grinding
  • Tooth wear and fractures
  • Temporomandibular disorder
  • Dental erosion
  • Malocclusion

TMD Condylar Degeneration: This condition video shows what happens when the condyle bone breaks down.

TMD patients can visualize how condyle bones break down and how that can impact their jaw, cause pain, and decrease airway space.

Patient Education TMD videos also include “Anterior Displaced Disc” and “Temporomandibular Joint Disorder.”

Better patient outcomes when patients can 'see' their conditions

These two new chairside videos can be shown on a tablet and be easily emailed or text-messaged to patients, so they have instructions accessible on their mobile device. Or you can print custom handouts for patients to take home. Spanish-language closed captioning is also available.

Find the new video resources by selecting the “Chairside” tab of the Patient Education page. They are among nearly 200 videos that include overviews of conditions, procedures, home care tips, pre-op, and post-op instructions for patients.

Included with membership to Spear Online, Patient Education videos empower patients to clearly visualize their conditions and feel like more active participants in the clinical co-discovery process, which enables you and your team to reduce friction from chairside discussions and increase case acceptance.

Recent surveys have shown that more than 90% of patients who are shown Patient Education videos are more likely to commit to their treatment plan.


Be first to post a comment