The teenage and young adult years are important to dental and oral health. For example, many teens require orthodontic treatment, such as braces or retainers, to properly align their teeth. Teens and young adults may also be more likely to need wisdom teeth extractions, to avoid spacing problems in their mouths.
When adolescents and young adults have disabilities and disorders, finding a special needs dentist becomes crucial. And at Penn Dental Medicine (PDM), we make quality, comprehensive oral health care for adolescents with special needs in and around Philadelphia as accessible and as positive an experience as possible.
Patients ages 14-21 with disabilities or disorders receive treatment in our state-of-the-art Personalized Care Suite at our Care Center for Persons with Disabilities.
In PDM’s Personalized Care Suite, our student special needs dentists, working under experienced dentists’ close supervision, use proven, evidence-based techniques—such as gradually introducing patients to dental equipment and procedures—to reduce anxiety and fear.
PDM’s Personalized Care Suite delivers positive experiences in a supportive dental office environment. Our adolescent and young adult patients, and their caregivers, find unparalleled, practical attention to their specific needs.
How Disabilities and Disorders Can Affect Dental Care
When teens and young adults have disabilities and disorders, addressing their dental care needs can become more challenging for multiple reasons.
Associated Oral Health Needs
These patients may have unique oral health needs associated with their medical conditions.
For instance:
- Patients with Down syndrome may face multiple associated dental conditions, from smaller teeth with shorter roots to malocclusions (bad bites).
- Patients with cerebral palsy may have trouble handling a toothbrush and dental floss because of their tremors and spasms.
- Patients with autism spectrum disorder or sensory disorders may find brushing and flossing overstimulating.
Communication Challenges
Many patients with disabilities and disorders have trouble expressing dental concerns or understanding oral health instructions. Some, such as those with autism or Down syndrome, struggle with speech and language development. Others may rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and devices.
Behavioral Considerations
Some disabilities and disorders can lead to behavioral challenges that tend to make dental visits more difficult.
For example, patients with sensory disorders may find the stimuli of a dental office—the bright lamps, the loud drill, the sharp scaler—overwhelming. The sensation and pressure of a dental examination can trigger defensive responses.
Physical Limitations
Certain disabilities and disorders may result in physical limitations that affect oral health care. For example, individuals with muscular dystrophy may have difficulty maintaining proper oral hygiene due to muscle weakness.
Trust the Special Needs Dentists at Philadelphia’s Penn Dental Medicine
The student dentists for special needs at PDM’s Personalized Care Suite are receiving additional, specialized training in caring for adolescents and young adults with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities, and sensory processing issues.
They leverage the Care Center’s highly accessible facilities and advanced technology to accommodate a wide range of patients’ special needs. The Care Center features:
- Physical accessibility through wide hallways, a wheelchair lift room, and hover chair rooms for patients who aren’t ambulatory.
- A quiet room to protect patients from sensory overstimulation.
- A spacious, six-chair open treatment bay to avoid anxiety triggered by enclosure. Each chair in the bay features digital radiology and can deliver nitrous oxide if needed.
- Six closed operatories and private consultation rooms that provide maximum privacy for patients wanting or needing it.
- Precision radiology for all patients, including those for whom conventional X-rays aren’t an option.
- New, state-of-the-art tools for improving patients’ dental self-care in our Colgate-Palmolive Innovation Laboratory.
In addition, trained oral health navigators connect patients with services, facilitate appointment scheduling, and follow up between appointments.
The level of care we provide to patients with special needs at PDM’s Care Center is found nowhere else in or near Philadelphia. Call 215-898-8180 to find out more about the Personalized Care Suite. You can also schedule an appointment online.
Or, to discover how PDM stands out in its quality, accessibility, and affordability of evidence-based care, download this free and informative checklist.
