Our Services
Dental care is crucial for everyone, and children and adults with special needs benefit from dentists, hygienists, and staff who are experienced and can provide excellent care in a comfortable, compassionate environment.
We offer comprehensive cosmetic, restorative, and surgical dentistry to patients of all ages, including those with unique physiological and behavioral conditions. We understand the wide range of complexities our patients face, and the unique attention each requires.
For those who are especially anxious and unable to receive their cleanings and treatment while awake, we work with a team of board-certified and board-eligible anesthesiologists to make your loved one feel as comfortable as possible.
For information regarding specific treatment planning for yourself or your loved one, please contact one of our offices.
Strategies to Manage Dental Anxiety
Dental anxiety and phobia sometimes result in avoidance of dental care, making it essential to create a comfortable environment and employ the best, evidence-based therapies for patients with special needs.
From the initial screening, our clinical staff watch for and attempt to defuse any dental anxiety, getting to know each patients as an individual, and discussing treatment options that work best for each circumstance.
Behavior management therapies can help to “desensitize” those who may otherwise be uncooperative, through education, relaxation and distraction techniques, positive reinforcement, positive touch, gradual exposure, the “tell-show-do” method, and modeling. Cognitive strategies can many times change negative perceptions into positive associations.
When patients are not able to cooperate with the dentist, we work with a talented team of anesthesiologists and offer a variety of sedation options.
Nitrous Oxide Sedation
Nitrous oxide sedation is an option for patients who may be apprehensive when having a dental procedure. Our team will provide detailed information to ensure you understand the entire process, so you can feel confident and calm. Although patients are not asleep, they feel relaxed and comfortable proceeding with treatment.
General Anesthesia
General anesthesia involves inhaled anesthesia gases, sometimes supplemented with IV-administered medications, to render patients unconscious, so that they experience no discomfort, do not respond to external stimuli during treatment, and do not remember their procedures. We work with board-certified and board-eligible anesthesiologists, who are responsible for administering medications and monitoring our patients while our team works quickly and effectively to restore the health of our patients' beautiful smiles.
