Caring Smiles For Every Child: What A Special Needs Pediatric Dentist Visit Looks Like

Any child can feel nervous about going to the dentist. When your child has special needs, those fears can be heightened.

No matter what type of special needs your child has, our compassionate pediatric dentists, Staci Brunell, DMD, and Priyanka Patel, DMD, and orthodontist Gina Gill, DMD, personalize your special needs child’s dental visit to keep them as relaxed as possible during appointments and procedures. 

This is how our team at Yorktown Pediatric Dentistry in Yorktown Heights, New York, keeps your special-needs child comfortable and happy at the dentist. 

Dental visits and the special needs child 

Going to the dentist can feel especially stressful for children with additional needs. Children with additional special needs like developmental disorders, physical disorders, anxiety, phobias, and autism can experience more dental care barriers than other children. 

Reasons for this can include:

• Increased sensitivity to sounds, lights, and the feeling of dental tools
• Disruption of routine to visit the dentist
• More difficult past visits to the dentist

Children with special needs are more likely to avoid the dentist and suffer from untreated tooth decay. Our team prioritizes making dental visits as easy as possible for children with special needs so they can get the dental care they need. 

How we keep special needs children comfortable at the dentist

Our team is experienced in ensuring the comfort and treatment of children with a wide range of special needs. These are some of the strategies we use to help your child have a great visit:

By preparing your child for the visit 

We encourage parents to prepare children in advance of the dental visit so they know what to expect. This is especially important if your child is new to our dentist or dental appointments in general, or if they’re getting a treatment that’s new to them.

Our team welcomes your child to visit our practice before their appointment so they know what to expect. If your child needs special adaptive equipment or routines, we explain in advance to your whole family what we’ll do to ensure they receive top-notch dental care that accounts for their special needs.

By making dental visits part of a usual routine 

Appointments will also be easier for your child if you make them part of their standard routine. Ensuring your child gets dental cleanings every six months and starts coming to the dentist by the time they turn one year old gets them used to our practice and what routine they can expect at dental exams.

Most children with special needs keep the same dental cleaning schedule as any other child. The only difference in an exam is whether we use adaptive equipment, other special tools, or methods as part of the exam or cleaning to accommodate your child’s special needs.

Involving your child’s team

Any other doctors, teachers, caregivers, and other professionals involved in your child's care can offer wisdom on what helps your child. Our team always invites you and your child’s team to discuss support and help develop a treatment plan that works.

Using sedation dentistry

In our experience, many special children can get through dental exams without sedation by using other relaxation techniques. But if your child has severe dental anxiety, has trouble sitting still during appointments, or is undergoing a complex procedure, mild dental sedation is a safe way to keep your child calm and relaxed during visits. 

Our team offers laughing gas (also known as nitrous oxide) to children with special needs who need extra help during exams or treatments. This very safe form of sedation keeps your child awake and responsive during the appointment, while remaining happy and calm. It wears off immediately at the end of the appointment.

Whatever your child’s additional needs are, we’re here to make them feel welcome and comfortable while they receive top-quality care. Contact us to discuss your child’s needs and schedule an appointment.