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Posted on 2/13/2020 by Stephanie Day |
| When it comes to a dental visit we all have different needs. Some of us need a friendly face and a warm neck roll, and others may need a little extra care to make their visit a more enjoyable experience. The most important thing is to find what works for each individual person so that they may continue to keep up to date on their oral healthcare. If you’re the parent or caretaker of someone with special needs, you may be very familiar with the challenge of dental visits. We understand this challenge personally ourselves as one of our own is autistic and requires special treatment to make her dental visits a success. There are a few things we would recommend to improve the dental experience of your child or friend with special needs. Preparation & ExpectationsWe have found that setting the expectation can be hugely beneficial for the appointment. Talk with your special needs child or friend and tell them that they will be visiting the dentist, they will sit in a big comfortable chair that moves up and down, the dentist will look into their mouth, they may have to hold still for pictures taken of their teeth, and then the hygienist will clean their teeth one at a time. Feel free to show them pictures of our office, Dr. Hill and team members. This can be a great way to familiarize them with our faces and office environment. It’s important to remember to speak positively about dental visits to lessen anxiety and fear. Consider driving by our office in the weeks leading up to the visit and try to get them excited about visiting us soon. Sometimes a little excitement and encouragement can go a long way to calm nerves. CommunicationLet us know if there is anything we can do to help! For instance, if you’d like us to speak in calmer tones, or limit the number of people that come into contact with your child or friend we can definitely do that. We can have comfort items like a blanket, warm neck roll, headphones, etc., ready for your arrival to ease the transition. Whatever you think would be helpful, please let us know and we will do our absolute best to be accommodating. Our office is also wheelchair accessible with handicap parking spaces in front of our building. We look forward to serving your special needs child or friend! Please remember that we are here for you and will do anything in our power to make dental visits a happy and positive experience. As always, if you have any questions please give us a call! |
 Dr. Bryan Hill Dr. Natasha Wilhelm 9671 North Nevada St. ste. 200 Spokane, WA 99218-1146 (509) 505-6303 Hours Mon Tues Weds Thur Fri 8am - 5pm 7am - 4pm 7am - 4pm 7am - 4pm 7am - 2pm |
