Special Need Dentistry and Orthodontic Services who Require Additional Assistance

Different Techniques Implemented in Special Needs Dentistry

A discussion with the parents or guardian is a good place to start to understand the special needs that the child or adult may have. Once a baseline has been established, the staff is sensitive to those issues. The patient might have a difficult time with longer appointments, so that needs to be addressed. Sometimes it could be the lighting in the office or the different textures that are presented when working in the mouth.

Common care practices across all special needs patients start with a focus on routine and consistency. A special needs patient isn’t comfortable with surprises, so Dr. Pan and the staff try to repeat certain processes that create a routine. There is an extra effort made to increase communication and to increase demonstration practices. Maybe it’s to show the child or adult someone else in braces or to show the patient the dental tool that is about to be used. Throughout the entire process, there is always an awareness of good, solid positive reinforcement.

A terrific example of addressing and understanding a special needs patient is if the parent or guardian thinks the child or adult can tolerate braces. Some patients, maybe those with autism or cerebral palsy, might be extra sensitive to having the wires and brackets in their mouths and might damage the appliances. They find them irritating and may play with them or manipulate them such that the goal and objective are negated.

The introduction of the Invisalign treatment program is a viable solution when it comes to special needs dentistry, working in the favor of all parties. With Dr. Pan’s expertise, non-traditional digital dentistry such as Suresmile and Invisalign can significantly improve patient experience and efficiency. To begin with, Dr. Pan’s office is equipped with a cone-beam CT and digital scanner necessary to capture the anatomy of our skeletal bones, teeth, roots and even the contour of our gums. After helping Dr. Pan with her diagnosis process, these records will initiate the fabrication of appliances such as a palatal expander, wires, and clear plastic trays that make up the program. The 3D model that is created, showing the starting point and where the teeth will end up, is also a nice tool to communicate to the special needs patient the objective of what the appliances will be doing for our teeth.

Invisalign uses a CAD/CAM system, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing, to create trays that apply the same force and pressure that braces do to move the teeth in question. The trays can be removed or taken out of the mouth, to allow better brushing of the teeth without the challenges of braces. The trays, anywhere from a total of five to 50, are changed out every week as long as the trays stay in the mouth for 20 to 22 hours a day. They have become a nice option for Dr. Pan in approaching orthodontic treatment for those special needs patients.