Children and adults with special health care needs (SHCN) need oral treatment like everyone else, but they benefit the most from seeing a dentist who specifically caters to these patients. Special needs dentistry is a branch of dentistry for which doctors have undergone additional training, and so has their own assistants and office staff. When looking for a dentist, parents of SHCN patients should find a practitioner who understands the wide range of issues these patients face and can accommodate those needs.
Dental Care for Children with SHCN
Children with SHCN require routine dental care but often need additional attention as well. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) defines pediatric special needs dentistry as the practices that treat children with a physical, emotional, developmental, cognitive, sensory or mental impairment, as well as those affected by an orofacial disorder or condition. Treatment for kids with SHCN includes examinations, fillings, and cleanings along with regular care, but these dentists embrace a unique understanding of the effects of a child’s condition to provide effective treatment. Children affected by an orofacial disorder require this medically specialized dental care.
A Special Needs Dentist Appointment
An appointment with a special needs dentist is generally different from a visit with a regular dentist. The special needs dentist is aware of and tailors his or her approach to the patient’s additional needs. According to Evelyn Chung, DDS, Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California Dental School Section of Hospital Dentistry, patients with SHCN usually require a slower approach than usual, and their appointments should be set when the clinic isn’t as busy. O. Lee Wilson, DMD, and Chair of Dentistry at The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine finds the best method for treating sensitive patients with SHCN is to provide them with general anesthesia in an operating room.
Locating a Special Needs Dentist
Many dentists have the compassion and understanding required to treat children with SHCN, but only some specialize in these patients, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). Luckily, these dentists can be found through most usual channels, such as advertising in local media. The Special Care Dentistry Association even maintains a searchable database of registered members. You can also contact your local university or dentistry college; many of them run clinics that treat children and adults with SHCN.
What to Look For
Certain factors can inform parents’ decisions when it comes to choosing a special needs dentist for their child. The well-trained office staff at a practice that treats children with SHCN can discern the nature of the condition, and take note of whether he is under regular treatment from a medical practitioner. The AAPD says the receptionist may arrange a slightly longer appointment and the presence of auxiliary staff under the guidance of the dentist.
Above all, a good special needs dentistry practice will contain specialized equipment, such as an operating theater, and a dentist who takes a detailed history that shapes his or her treatment delivery around the patient’s unique needs. Advice on day-to-day oral health care for the child should factor in these needs, as well. For example, using a battery-powered toothbrush provides the bristle movements that challenged children to need to take care of their teeth. It’s important that parents feel comfortable with the dentist and confident their child’s needs are being met.
Raising someone with SHCN can be as rewarding as it is challenging. Finding the right dentist is only one item on a long list of considerations you’ll have.
source:
colgate.com
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. Growing Smiles is a pediatric dentist in Anna, Richardson, Plano, Garland, Murphy we have Pediatric Services in Texas: Early Childhood Care, Preventive Care, General Treatments, Sedation Dentistry, Special Needs Dentistry, Emergency Service and Orthodontic (Braces & Invisalign) For more information call us to answer all of your questions so get an appointment today.
Baby teeth aren’t permanent, but did you know that it’s possible to lose a baby tooth too soon? Here’s everything parents need to know about losing a baby tooth too soon.
If your child loses a tooth before the age of 4, then you need to schedule an appointment with your pediatric dentist. Usually, natural tooth loss begins around age 6 and concludes around age 12.
If a baby tooth is lost too early, it can cause serious crowding problems for the developing adult teeth, as well as negatively impact the jaw’s muscle and bone development. This can lead to necessary orthodontic treatment later in life to correct a bite and alignment issues.
The most common causes of premature tooth loss are traumatic facial injuries and tooth decay. It’s impossible to prevent accidents from happening, but you can prevent tooth decay by ensuring your child follows a healthy brushing and flossing regiment and enjoys mouth healthy foods and plenty of water.
Baby teeth usually begin to fall out around age 6, and the process usually lasts 6 years until ages 11-12. Baby teeth will naturally become looser, and fall out on their own to make room for adult teeth erupting beneath them. Usually, teeth fall out in the order that they first arrived, but that’s not always the case.
Fortunately, there are plenty of options for those that lose teeth too soon! Spacers and space maintainers are placed in the gap of the lost tooth to help prepare for the arrival of the incoming adult tooth. Spacers come in many shapes, sizes, and colors, and can make an un-fun situation more enjoyable for your child.
If you think that your child has lost a tooth too soon, then call our office to schedule an evaluation. We’ll provide your child with the necessary treatment that best prepares their mouth for a healthy, adult smile.
source:
childrensdentalspecialties.com
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. For more information call us today to answer all of your questions so get an appointment today.
National Smile Month (14 May to 14 June) is fast approaching, and in anticipation of celebrating our patients’ happy, healthy smiles, this week’s blog post puts the focus on foods for healthy teeth and gums – because eating for a healthy smile will positively impact on your child’s overall health, both physically and emotionally. As parents, we are well aware that providing three perfectly balanced meals a day can be a real challenge – so here’s a grab-and-go round-up of the top foods to include in your family meals.
The top of our list of foods for healthy teeth is apples. Because they are high in fiber, they act like a toothbrush, scrubbing away plaque and food debris from teeth – plus their acid content kills off the bacteria that cause bad breath. Get children to eat them with the skin on for maximum benefit!
Munching on a raw carrot has similar benefits to those of apples, with all that fiber working to gently slough away debris and help teeth keep their shine, and vitamin B help prevent gingivitis, the first sign of gum disease. Carrot-crunching also produces lots of saliva, which naturally neutralizes the acids in your mouth.
OK, we know that some children just aren’t going to touch kale or spinach. But lots of children get on well with broccoli, so focus on that for now! Leafy, dark greens have all the teeth-cleaning benefits of carrots and apples, plus they’re rich in calcium and vitamin B, so they keep teeth strong and disease-free.
From the age of 5, nuts and seeds are a great snacking option for children, offering all the saliva-boosting, teeth-cleaning benefits they need while providing a strengthening dose of protein.
Cheese is simply brilliant for kids – and one of the best foods for healthy teeth! A natural neutralizer, it’s your secret weapon in helping reduce the effects of acid attacks caused by sugary or citric foods and drinks – and of course, it’s an excellent source of teeth-and bone-strengthening calcium. Get into the habit of giving your children a cube of cheese after meals, and after eating sweets too.
We all know omega-rich salmon is great ‘brain food’ for kids – but with its high levels of vitamin D, it’s a superfood for their teeth too! Vitamin D allows the body to absorb and use calcium, which protects teeth and gums from disease.
A recipe for success?
We can’t promise to convert your kids to kale and carrot wraps – but we do understand that every child is unique, and parents need to find different approaches to getting them to eat well. Our top tips? Be patient. Try and dine together as a family as much as possible, so you can retain control of what they eat, set a great example and create happy associations with mealtimes. Try offering a variety of cuisines, even if they turn up their noses – keeping them curious helps avoid those fish-finger/pasta groundhog days. And keep coming to Growing Smiles dental – we’re a great source of tried and tested advice on children’s nutrition!
source:
happykidsdental.co.uk
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. For more information call us today to answer all of your questions so get an appointment today.
It’s that time of year when everyone starts coughing and sniffling, and you’re paranoid that your child is going to get sick. If they do, you’re understandably more worried about their fever going down that you care about making sure their teeth stay in good shape. But did you know that having a cold or the flu can actually hurt your little one’s pearly whites? Here are five flu season tips from a dentist on how to make sure this sickness doesn’t harm your child’s teeth.
You already know that when you’re sick, it can be hard to find the energy to do the most basic of tasks, like brushing and flossing. However, you’ve got to instill in your child that cleaning their teeth is essential, no matter how bad they’re feeling. Make sure they spend at least two full minutes brushing every morning and every night.
When your son or daughter is sick, they need to drink plenty of fluids to help fight the infection. If your child can’t breathe through their nose properly, they might get dry mouth, a condition where the mouth doesn’t have enough saliva. This increases the risk of cavities and gum infections. Make sure your child loads up on water and soup.
As soon as your little one starts feeling better, replace their toothbrush. Using an old one later when they’re well could re-infect them down the road.
Let a tablespoon of salt dissolved in an eight-ounce glass of water. Have your child gargle and spit until the solution is gone. This helps reduce the number of harmful bacteria in the mouth and throat and cuts down on the effects of bad breath and dental plaque.
A lot of cough drops and liquid cold medications are loaded with sugar to make them taste better. Even when paired with medication, this amount of sugar is detrimental to your child’s pearly whites. Look for cold medicines that are sweetened with xylitol or another sugar substitute. If you can’t find any, at least have your child brush their teeth afterward.
source:
shinysmilespediatricdentistry.com
We love our patients and love to help them form healthy dental life that will last them a lifetime. For more information call us today to answer all of your questions so get an appointment today.