Some parents of children with special needs may have anxiety or questions about their child's dental experience. Here, our Smile Town Langley dentists walk you through our process and experience working with children with a wide range of special needs.
Although regular dental care can fall low on the list of priorities for parents raising children with special needs, maintaining children's oral health is very important.
People living with cognitive or developmental disabilities are prone to developing cavities or gum disease, which can negatively impact their overall health while also making their daily lives more difficult.
Our Team of Pediatric Dentists Can Help
At Smile Town Langley, our pediatric dental team is trained in care and communication techniques for patients across a broad spectrum of needs, including:
- Cerebral Palsy
- ADD & ADHD
- Down Syndrome
- Autism
- Seizure Disorders
- Hearing & Vision Impairment
- Developmental and Learning Disabilities
- Craniofacial Conditions (such as a cleft palate)
The team at Smile Town Langley can help introduce consistent dental care and oral health into your child's life without causing too much stress to them or you.
Dental Care for Children with Special Needs
We strive to provide a dental care experience based in kindness and attentiveness and targeted at your and your child's level of comfort.
At Smiletown Langley, our first appointment will be dedicated to meeting your child. We will make them comfortable with our space and our staff without the stress of treatment following it. We will be happy to answer any of your questions and concerns during this time as well.
Our dentists will deploy calming techniques, engaging play, and quiet persuasion as ways of keeping your child comfortable and calm during appointments for treatment.
Dental Sedation Options for Your Child With Special Needs
Some children have emotional of physical barriers to continued oral health. This means that the above techniques may be insufficient to overcoming their discomfort.
For children who need more than our usual methods in order to receive effective dental treatment, we offer a range of safe and effective sedation and anaesthesia options. If required, we will consult with you about the best sedation option for your child well ahead of time.
Our pediatric dentists have extensive training and experience in administering sedation medications. They will do they best to provide your child with the quality of dental care they deserve. At Smile Town Langley, we offer the following sedation options:
Nitrous Oxide: Also known as "laughing gas," nitrous oxide is a combination of nitrous oxide and oxygen. This sedation option calms nervous or anxious patients, but leaves natural reflexes uninhibited and does not make a patient unconscious.
Oral Conscious Sedation: Oral Conscious Sedation refers to a wide selection of medications. Before application, our dentists will take the time to discuss the best option among these for your child. These medications allow the patient to become relaxed and drowsy enough to drift off a little, often being unable to remember the procedure at all.
General Anesthesia: General Anesthesia renders a patient unconscious and is recommended for patients who have limited comprehension, physical handicaps, behavioural challenges, or who are highly sensitive to pain.