Children with special needs often require extra care from the pediatric dentist to help ensure they feel comfortable and have oral health concerns that are more specific to them properly diagnosed and treated. Understanding how pediatric dentists can help children through special needs dental care and how to choose the right provider is beneficial for parents.
Special needs dental care involves treatment for children who have a physical or mental disability. By visiting a pediatric dentist who has experience treating children with special needs, parents can ensure their child is able to prevent and receive prompt treatment for any oral health concerns.
Pediatric dentists can treat essentially all types of special needs a child may have. Notably, this includes children with autism spectrum disorder, down syndrome, cognitive development delays, and speech delays, among other types of congenital or developmental conditions.
Many of the dental concerns addressed with special needs dental care are standard, such as the prevention and treatment of cavities and gum disease. However, special dental care may also focus more on saliva production and avoiding dry mouth, the maturity of oral structures, and dietary factors. Of course, these are general examples, and every treatment plan is fully personalized for each child.
Much of the focus in special needs dental care from a pediatric dentist is on prevention. For example, for a child that takes medication that increases the risk of dry mouth, the focus may be to prevent dry mouth (and subsequent halitosis). Of course, dentists can provide restorative services for children with special needs, such as cavity fillings.
Pediatric dentists often ensure their staff is friendly and able to communicate well with both children with special needs and their parents. A pediatric dentist may also take extra measures to ensure procedures are pain-free for children with special needs. For example, this may include the use of laughing gas (nitrous oxide) during simple dental procedures.
It is important to introduce your child to their pediatric dentist as early as possible and allow the relationship to grow over time. When choosing a pediatric dentist, consider how accessible they are, the types of treatment they have experience providing, and what sedation options they may recommend to ensure they are in line with your (and your child’s) treatment preferences.
We encourage parents to give us a call if they are searching for special needs dental care for their child. Our friendly team is more than happy to answer any questions you have, and we pride ourselves on helping younger patients who have special needs with their dental care receive the proper treatment they need in a comfortable environment.
Request an appointment here: https://www.grandparkwaypediatricdental.com or call Grand Parkway Pediatric Dental at (832) 579-0960 for an appointment in our Richmond office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Special Needs Dental in Richmond, TX.
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