When you have a loved one with special needs, there are so many things to think about. Do they have special dietary requirements? Emotional issues? Is it difficult, if not impossible, to take them places? These are just a few of the things you need to consider—medical, physical, mental, and emotional concerns.

The last thing you need to worry about is your loved one’s dental care.

It should be simple. Regular check-ups are standard, right? Every six months, you get your teeth cleaned, maybe some x-rays taken, and you and your dentist stay on top of your dental health to prevent real problems from arising.

Special Needs Dental Patients

But when you’re caring for someone who has special needs, things like oral hygiene can fall by the wayside. Dealing with the challenges of daily life is difficult enough. Medicine. Food. Physical challenges. Emotional needs. All of these are draining and time-consuming, and most days, you’re grateful to get the bare minimum done.

Meanwhile, that trip to the dentist? You figure that can wait. Maybe it’s too difficult to get to the dentist’s office. Perhaps there are physical limitations that make it impossible to travel or emotional fears that are just too hard to face. It’s easier to just postpone making that appointment. Healthy meals and a good brushing will have to do for now. After all, how important can a dental cleaning be?

That cleaning you’re putting off is very important. In fact, good oral hygiene is vital. Bacteria from gum disease can get into the blood stream and aggravate other illnesses, putting people with already-fragile health at greater risk. You may think that strong teeth are at the bottom of the priority list, but in fact, they should be at the top.

Special Needs Dentist

This is why special needs patients benefit greatly from a special needs dentist, one who is committed to helping people with challenges get the dental care that they need.

What, exactly, is a special needs dentist? For starters, dentists like the ones here at the Blende Dental Group appreciate the difficulties that our patients face every day, and are willing to take the time to make patients’ visits comfortable. We take extra care in our work to make the experience as easy and painless as possible.

We start with the understanding that patients with special needs deserve the same care as any other patient. But we also recognize that they do not always have access to it. Some are too afraid to come to the office. Others have physical limitations that make a standard dentist’s chair too uncomfortable. They might be confined to a wheelchair. Special needs dental patients may have an illness like Alzheimer’s or Down’s Syndrome, which makes it impossible for them to sit still long enough to have any dental work done. Patients who are autistic as well as abuse victims or individuals who suffer from PTSD cannot tolerate having anything inserted into their mouths.

A special needs dentist takes all of this into consideration and puts the patients’ personal circumstances first and foremost. For example, the Blende Dental Group’s offices are friendly and accessible, and we go through extra training to help us give our special needs dental patients exactly what they need: excellent care plus the patience and respect they deserve.

Our patients’ needs are as special as they are, which is why they deserve a special dentist, too.

A special needs dentist typically concentrates on those populations of patients who are poorly served by traditional dentistry— adults and children with disabilities, people with dental phobia or medical conditions, and seniors. In addition to their specialized training, these dentists often offer treatment rooms that accommodate patients who use wheelchairs, acknowledging the accessibility and positioning issues that confront many of their patients when trying to access a typical dentist’s office.

When seeking a special needs dentist, be sure to ask about their experience with issues that are relevant for your loved one, such as existing medical conditions, complex dental conditions (problems with tooth eruption, malocclusion, developmental defects, grinding, etc.), medications that may cause dry mouth, neuromuscular problems that affect the mouth (gagging, swallowing), uncontrolled body movements, seizures, cardiac disorders, gastroesophogeal reflux, compromised immune system, latex allergies, mental capabilities, behavior problems, communication techniques, visual impairments, hearing loss, food pouching, mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, and risk for aspiration. Additional considerations should be made for people who are afraid of the dentist, as one in seven Americans are.

Most patients with special needs will require sedation in order to receive treatment. Options range from nitrous oxide, to oral sedatives (pills), to I.V. sedation to general anesthesia. Most general dentists are only able to offer limited treatments or limited sedation; however, it is important for patients and caretakers to investigate options and not to settle for the minimum level of care. A special needs dentist is more likely to be experienced in providing treatment that utilizes a variety of sedation techniques.