Children that have special needs may have sensory and behavioral issues that can make working with their teeth quite the challenge. If you have a child with special needs and you are looking for a dentist to be able to take care of their oral needs, you should take the time to pick out the right dentist who works in special needs dentistry.
When you begin your search for someone who works in special needs dentistry you should keep in mind that the dentist with the most experience is not always going to be the right choice for you and your child. Many times advocacy groups can help to match you with the special needs dentistry dentist that you need.
You may also want to look into the way each dental office handles special needs children that cannot sit still. There are many different ways used to help to restrain the special needs child and some of them you may or may not agree with. For example, some dental offices will strap your special needs child to a papoose board in order to get their work done, but others will simply hold them in their lap and use a more tender method of getting the job done. It is basically up to you which dentist you choose, but be sure to find out all the procedures they use to help keep your child still before making a decision so that you are not caught off guard once the procedure starts. If you find at any time during your child’s dentist visit that you are not happy with what is being done, you as the parent have the right to take your child out of the situation and to another dentist that may work better with your child and his or her needs.
If you are not going to be taking your child to the dentist but for just a few visits per year, then location may not be that important to you. However if you are going to be visiting the dentist quite often, you may want to find one that is nearby so that you will not have to be spending so much of your time traveling to and from the dentist. Keep this in mind when you begin your search for the best dentist for your special needs child.
Also it is important to find a dentist that has a great personality and one that messes well with your special needs child. The dentist as well as his staff should show respect to your child as they would any other child. You will know pretty quickly after just one visit if you want to continue going there or not.
Richard Feldhake DMD & Associates offers the most compassionate, specialized special needs dentistry in Glendale AZ.
