THE DENTAL PATIENT’S SURVIVAL GUIDE

Are you going to the dentist? Do you know anything about dentistry? Would you like to be informed and go in with some knowledge? I know I would like that! HAGAR CARTOON Written by Ellen Broyles Copyright 2010 Ellen Broyles ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ellen Broyles is a Registered Dental Assistant and has worked in the dental industry for over 25 years. She has worked in almost every specialty field as a dental assistant as well as working in the general dentistry office. Her specialty fields have included endodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, periodontics and pedodontics. She has also been a dental assistant instructor. She has served with Northwest Medical/Dental Teams and Union Gospel Mission as a volunteer. Ellen is currently freelancing for dental offices in the King County area in Washington State. She is a personal dental consultant for dental patients who need advice with their dental needs and their dental insurance rights. She is also extremely honored to be working with Medical Teams International as their Mobile Dental Clinic Manager. MISSION STATEMENT Ellen’s mission is to empower and educate dental laypersons so they can make more of an informed decision regarding their dental needs. Testimonials Ellen is our dental “angel” advocate. Her book exposes all the murky and sometimes secretive details of the dental industry, such as fillings, root canals, crowns, implants, dentures, and more, and the expenses and insurance involved. She presents the information in such an easy to read and informative manner that it’s not possible any longer to wonder whether to trust a dental professional or his/her treatment or not. Hooray for Ellen Broyles! I can honestly say that I appreciate her writing this book; the information has been kept under cover for too long. Thanks, Ellen. – Terry Mills Ellen the book is great! I sat down to just read a chapter or two and ended up finishing it because it was so fun, definitely not the typical, dry literature you'd read about a medical profession! The structure and content were perfect. Thanks for sending me along a copy; I think it's a great idea to educate patients! - Casey Caraher Ellen has personally saved our family thousands of dollars by intercepting treatment plans that would have drained our bank accounts. We can’t thank her enough for her time and caring attitude for us and many of our other family members that have gone to her for dental advocacy. She was able to inform us with alternative suggestions and refer us to other dentists that were able to provide them. - Marcy Dodds My sister was in severe dental pain one evening; we were referred to Ellen to help us find available dental resources and she was able to find a clinic that worked on a sliding fee schedule. Both my sister and I thank you Ellen! Thanks to your recommendation, she received wonderful dental care that she could afford! Thank you again,- Debby Cabales I have always called Ellen over the years to get a second opinion of the treatment plan I received from various dentists. She has always been able to either agree with the dentist’s plan of treatment or disagree offering viable options for me. I will continue to ask her advice when it comes to hard decisions with my dental treatment. - Nancy White My cousin was in dire need of dental help Not only did she lack the funds for dental treatment but she was very scared of dentists in general. Not only did Ellen take the time to find her an adequate but inexpensive dental insurance plan for her, but she also found her a very empathetic dentist to work with Gwen. Ellen even brought her to her first appointment so she would feel more comfortable. Thank you, Ellen – Kim Ledgerwood