A special needs dentist manages the dental health of people living with a disability or impairment. The impairment could be physical, sensory, or developmental. Therefore, if you're searching for special needs dentistry services, here are FAQs to help you find the ideal dentists.
What Does a Special Needs Dentist Do?
Special needs dentists usually perform dental checkups and procedures for people who are living with a disability. Such patients are prone to dental problems, as they may not be able to clean their teeth thoroughly. Additionally, some conditions require the special needs person to take a lot of medication, which may affect their teeth. For instance, pigmented medication may cause tooth staining. A special needs dentist will monitor the health of the teeth, perform professional teeth cleaning and offer any other dental treatment that may be necessary.
Why Are Special Needs Dentistry Services Important?
Dentists can help people with special needs receive the dental treatments that they need. For example, if you have a physical disability such as a spinal injury and use a wheelchair, you need a special seat for the dentist to examine you. Also, patients with mental conditions may not understand why the dentist wants to check their mouths and may not relax. Fortunately, a special needs dentist is well-trained to handle such patients and make them feel calm and safe. Further, the dentist has the right equipment to accommodate patients with various special needs.
What Happens if a Special Needs Patient Doesn't Relax?
Sometimes, the special needs patient may be too anxious to relax. A special needs dentist won't abandon such a patient who needs dental treatment. In such cases, the dentist may sedate the patient after establishing that sedation dentistry is safe. Then, the dentist can comfortably perform the dental procedure and save the patient's teeth.
What Types of Preventative Dental Care Do Special Needs Dentists Recommend?
Brushing and flossing teeth is an excellent way of preventing tooth decay. Additionally, a special needs dentist will probably recommend routine professional teeth cleaning to remove the hidden and stubborn dirt that may cause tooth decay. Also, sealants are ideal for preventing decay. A sealant is a plastic coating that shields the enamel.
These FAQs highlight what a special needs dentist does, the importance of special needs dentistry, the preventative dental care special needs dentists recommend and what happens if a patient doesn't calm down while under the care of a special needs dental professional. With this information, you can confidently seek special needs dentistry services.
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.