When you have children, you want to make sure that they are taking care of their oral health. The best way to do that is to make sure that they are seeing their dentist on a regular basis. But what happens when you have a child who has special needs who has problems seeing a dentist for whatever reason? That can turn going to see a dentist into a huge fight and a nightmare for both you and your child. However, there are things that you can do that will make it easier for you and your child. One of them is to see a pediatric dentist.
Pediatric Dentists
These dentists work specifically with children. They may have taken extra classes in working with children so that they are going to be able to handle some of the things that can come up with children. Within the set of pediatric dentists, there is a subset of dentists who specialize in working with kids who have special needs. These dentists will have further narrowed their focus down even further to work with kids who have sensory issues, autism, or other issues. There are several ways that a special needs pediatric dentist can help you and your child for appointments.
Less Stimulus
One thing that one of these dentists can do for your child is to take them to a room that has fewer stimuli. For example, the lights will be dimmer or less angled toward your child's face. The room may also be cut off from any speaker system that the office may have. The dentist can also provide things like noise-reducing headphones so that your child isn't going to hear what's going on, as well as some kind of eye covering that will keep any lights from shining in your child's face at all. A newer way to reduce some stimulation and help keep your child calm during their appointment is to use a weighted blanket. Your dentist may have blankets that they can provide, or they may allow you to bring your own from home. The weighted blanket provides deep relief and can help fight stress and anxiety.
If you have a child with special needs, you need to make sure that they are getting the dental care that they need. A pediatric dentist who specializes in kids with special needs can help you with making sure your child gets what they need
Our oral surgery and general dental website offers important information on how to prevent dry socket following a tooth extraction. After getting your tooth pulled, a protective blood clot develops over the extraction site. Many of our blog posts explain how this protective clot helps promote healing after an extraction.
You'll learn that if the clot is accidentally dislodged, dry socket may occur, which can raise your risk for infection and heavy bleeding. We'll provide you with important tips on how to prevent this by avoiding smoking and drinking through a straw. You'll also learn that swishing water around your mouth should be avoided for a couple of days following your extraction because doing so creates a suction that may dislodge your clot, leading to dry socket.