• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

Special Needs Dentistry.

T

Travie87

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Messages
113
Location
72023
I know I must not be the only special needs adult on this message board. Can We get a thread going for People like Us who is afraid of going to the dentist and has a intellectual dissibillity. I know I am very nervous about My May 9th dentist appt. OH by the way I have some teeth that rotted to the gumline. Can a dentist pull it or will I need to see a maxillofacial Surgeon for that? Thanks.
 
That's a good idea about the thread, we do not have any yet. Is there anything particular that you would like to read about? We have a section about special needs in our common fears section, if you haven't took a look yet. By the way, there are some interviews with dentists here on the page and an interview about dentistry for special needs will be coming too as some point in the future. I think it is a very important topic and you are certainly not the only one with special needs. By the way, Gordon from the forum here has been a dentist for special needs for 40 years.
Teeth rotted to the gumline should be fine to get removed by a dentist, they are often easier to get removed than 'normal' teeth.
 
I have two questions to ask. 1. Why aren't dentists trained to take care of Mr patients like Myself? 2. What are My rights as a patient that is disabled?
 
I'll take the question as I was trained to treat special needs patients as part of my advanced training.
1. Why aren't dentists trained to take care of Mr patients like Myself? There is a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill required to practice dentistry. Right now (USA) a person has to complete a bachelors degree or more then complete dental school which is an additional 4 years without summer vacations so its like 5 years of class time. I will also say that the volume of material far exceeds the first four years. A student who has successfully completed all of this can now take the tests to obtain a license. This student at best knows the basics of dentistry. There is still much to learn. There are specialists in dentistry such as for gums, roots, pathology, orthodontics, surgery, pediatrics and others. I personally completed a hospital based residency in general dentistry that was particularly strong in anesthesia, pediatrics, surgery, and special needs patients.
2. What are My rights as a patient that is disabled? It depends on what country you live in.

In the USA you have a right to go where you choose if you are able to pay. The office has a right to treat you or not depending on the comfort level of the doctor. There are government programs for some patients.
 
I'll take the question as I was trained to treat special needs patients as part of my advanced training.
1. Why aren't dentists trained to take care of Mr patients like Myself? There is a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill required to practice dentistry. Right now (USA) a person has to complete a bachelors degree or more then complete dental school which is an additional 4 years without summer vacations so its like 5 years of class time. I will also say that the volume of material far exceeds the first four years. A student who has successfully completed all of this can now take the tests to obtain a license. This student at best knows the basics of dentistry. There is still much to learn. There are specialists in dentistry such as for gums, roots, pathology, orthodontics, surgery, pediatrics and others. I personally completed a hospital based residency in general dentistry that was particularly strong in anesthesia, pediatrics, surgery, and special needs patients.
2. What are My rights as a patient that is disabled? It depends on what country you live in.

In the USA you have a right to go where you choose if you are able to pay. The office has a right to treat you or not depending on the comfort level of the doctor. There are government programs for some patients.
I live right here in America. I've not had 1 dentist previously in My 31 years that felt comfortable treating Me. Maybe it's My weight 350 pounds.lol. Dentists are not the nicest folks. Like My last dentist cussed Me out because I could not understand thoroughly the directions to take care of My wound. I don't wanna be treated by some government agency. lol
 
Last edited:
Your mum and yourself could contact The Arc of Arkansas. The contact details are:

The Arc of Arkansas
2004 Main St
Little Rock, AR 722206

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ARCofArkansas
Phone: (501) 375-7770
E-mail: [email protected]

They may be able to recommend dentists who are skilled with special needs patients.
 
They may be able to recommend dentists who are skilled with special needs patients.

I have Delta Dental Smiles and they help with that.
 
That's great :) - I just thought you might like to hear feedback from other people with intellectual disabilities regarding the dentists in your area. See what they and their parents think of the dentists.

For people in the UK who might be reading this, the Community Dental Services have dentists who are trained in special needs dentistry. For more information, see this page: https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/fears/special-needs/

Also, Public Health England have released new guidance for oral care and people with learning disabilities - this can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...al-care-and-people-with-learning-disabilities
 
Back
Top