Something to Smile About

Some twenty years ago a confluence of chance, opportunity and, of all things a delivery van, propelled Ken Snyder to where he is today. At a red light the Valley dentist stopped to adjust his briefcase sliding around his front seat and came upon a piece of scrap paper with a phone number scribbled on it. Grinding his car to a quick halt as to avoid kissing the bumper of the large vehicle in front of him, he looked up and was confronted by a large message painted on the truck’s back panel: Give St. Vincent de Paul a Call.
While the truck’s declaration was actually the venerable charity’s call for donations to their thrift shops, Ken knew better. The scrap of paper that had escaped from the dentist’s briefcase contained the phone number to St Vincent de Paul’s fledgling dental clinic.
“It was a sign,” smiles Snyder.
In private practice, with a wife and family to support, Dr. Ken Snyder embarked upon a journey that started out as a volunteer concept. Looking to serve the needs of the Valley’s working poor, the leadership of St. Vincent de Paul had identified that basic dental care was often at the core of their constituent’s heath issues. Through the maze of professional connections, someone had reached out in a circuitous fashion to Dr. Snyder and suggested he look into providing dental care to the new dental clinic.
Twenty years later, Dr. Ken Snyder is the Director of the Dental Clinic and a rock star of sorts in not only the dental community, but the philanthropic community as well. He is often a headliner of St Vincent de Paul’s annual Restoring Hope breakfast. Ken Snyder has a jubilant demeanor and a quick smile. At the same time, his care and compassion is first quality. This might be a dental clinic designed to meet the needs of an uninsured population, but it does not under serve.
Last year alone, the clinic managed more than 6,200 appointments from their clinic located in South Phoenix at their Watkins campus. “We work with children and adults who have no insurance and ability to secure dental work,” Dr. Snyder explains. “For the most part, these are working poor families. This means these folks are working, sometimes several jobs. They might be single parents with kids and they are just trying to keep their families together.” His compassion for the situation his patients face mixed with his passion for dentistry is compelling. “More than half of these kids have cavities that have never been treated! Due to the lack of money allocated to attend the dentist, many patients of all ages had so many questions about their teeth because of lack of education on proper oral hygiene. The questions ranged from ‘can you get dental implants if you have no teeth‘ to ‘which toothpaste should I be using’. I then set it as my mission to educate the community as best I could about all things dental.”
“When you have dental pain, you can’t eat nutritious food,” explains Dr. Snyder. “You miss work or you can’t give your school work proper attention. The beginning of general health decline can often be traced to dental issues.” It was from this point of logic, that the dental clinic emerged with a part-time volunteer project to the impressive program it is today.
As we tour the dental clinic with Dr. Ken, there are plenty of familiar greetings, comfortable smiles and a surprising lack of fear. “We really try hard to make this a positive experience for a patient and one that connects them to a life of regular dental care. A large part of what we do is education,” adds Snyder. “We teach everyone who is in the chair how they can impact their own dental care, from better oral hygiene to simple brushing techniques.” He explains this as a whirl of dental assistants, volunteer dentists and dental students swirl around us.
Every dental station is filled and each patient is attended to with a cadre of sympathetic professionals looking on. This could be a dental office anywhere in the Valley. “Oh, yes!” exclaims Snyder. “We have top line dentists, assistants and our equipment is high quality. We offer the best service and we really work to solve problems, not just offer quick fixes.” With that, he whips out a stack of before and after full mouth photographs that document the journey of care.
The images are frankly disturbing and are of children’s mouths. They are not simple cosmetic issues, they show horrific malformations, rotted teeth and what seems to be unimaginable pain. The after photos are a different story. There are actual kids smiling with confidence. “You bet,” says Dr. Snyder. “These kids suffer horrible taunts, and low self-esteem. Imagine going to school not only in pain every day, with the added stress of being from a working poor family that struggles just to get food on the table, and at the same time being made fun of.”
“Going to the dentist for a working poor family can be out of reach,” explains Dr. Snyder. The average cost of a cleaning and check-up can reach $100 and with fillings that cost can bump up to $200 or higher. “In the case of our population this is the same amount spent on a week’s worth of food for an entire family.”
Known for their dining rooms, thrift shops and shelter services throughout the state, not many associate the Dental Clinic with the St. Vincent de Paul array of programs. This is where local schools come in. “We actually have a lot of school nurses and even teachers who refer patients to us,” explains Snyder. “The school system is on the frontlines of this issue and they connect us to kids who need dental care.” This may come in the form of an extraction, filling, cleaning or general dentistry. “We don’t have a walk-in program,” explains Snyder. “We work on an appointment system just like any regular office.”
For the adult population, the dental clinic runs an innovative dental lottery system. Four times a year, potential patients are able to enter a lottery which places winners into the dental care system. There is about a one in three chance of being chosen. Once selected patients receive a dental plan which resolves pressing issues as well as long term problems. “These are folks who have not had care for a long time or perhaps their whole life,” says Snyder. “We often work in conjunction with our onsite Medical Clinic to solve bigger health issues.” The adult lottery is a one-time opportunity.
However basic the care may start, there are more significant issues the clinic deals with such as cleft palates, root canals, dentures and serious infections. They can also provide advice for people who have dental decisions to make, such as choosing between implants vs dentures. “We work with all levels of patients, but there are times we go outside our own clinic and seek the services of other professionals.” This may include more extensive scanning, oral and maxillofacial surgery.
From donating time to equipment, the dental community is a strong advocate of the St. Vincent de Paul Dental Clinic. “Yeah,” admits Snyder, “I’ve been known to jump on the phone and twist the arms of some of my dental friends.” This includes the donations of valuable medical equipment. In fact, the clinic is currently expanding their space for the much needed addition of more dental chairs.
It’s a busy time for Dr. Ken Snyder. The appointment book is full and too many patients in need are turned away. But for Snyder and his team, the future is full of optimism. There is an expanded dental clinic on the board for the future and the community has embraced the innovative St. Vincent de Paul Dental Clinic. Dr. Ken’s giant tooth brush and comic sized chompers are ready for his next speech where he tugs at the hearts and purse strings of our city. “This is a place of hope for me, our patients and our community,” reflects Snyder. And, it shows.
As we make our goodbyes, a little girl in the clinic waiting room tries to catch the eye of Dr. Ken. She looks scrubbed and squeaky clean with perfect braids cascading down her head. With clothes that are probably passed down or maybe even purchased from a St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop, she is neat and patiently waiting for her turn in the dental chair. She gives Dr. Ken a quick nod without a hint of fear or trepidation. The dental clinic is a place of hope for her and it shows in her big smile. It is imperative to understand that dental care is equally important. And it is about time that people start giving it a serious thought. Those residing in the East Coast of United States who are concerned about their oral health and who require a dental checkup might want to search for dentist in Boynton Beach online for finding clinics like Dental Specialists.
Coming back to the story, this is not lost on Dr. Ken Snyder as he gives her (the little girl) a quick greeting full of dignity, confidence and warmth. This is a place of healing and one with full promise that would otherwise be lost. Now that’s something to smile about.
St. Vincent de Paul Dental Clinic
www.stvincentdepaul.net