Visiting the Orthodontist with a Special Needs Child

Long Beach, CA – April is Autism Awareness Month, and at HD Orthodontics, we celebrate all of our patients – and provide personalized, comfortable care for everyone. For some patients, that means we take extra time to ensure they feel safe and cared for, and we work hard to make that happen.

Visiting the doctor, dentist, or orthodontist can be a scary time for any child, not just a child who may have special needs. Because we serve patients of all ages, our staff is well trained to provide the specialized care our patients need.

For children with Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, or other special needs, we take extra care to ensure they feel as safe as possible. That may mean working with parents to schedule appointments at a quiet part of the day, ensuring appointments are in a private room, or making sure the same assistant helps them every time the child is in our office. For many children, familiarity, regularity and routine is very important, so we’ll work with the patient’s parents to make sure we can do all we can to help every visit be as routine as possible. We also work hard to make sure that when patients with special needs schedule an appointment, their wait time is as short as possible.

Children also respond well to being able to see equipment, and walk through what will be done at each appointment before any actual orthodontic work begins. Our staff will take the time to show each patient any tools or equipment, and then explain how they will be used. By taking the time to walk the child through what will happen at the appointment, we can help them feel comfortable and remove any anxiety about what will be coming up during their time in the chair.

Our office also shows movies during appointments. Each child can pick out their favorite movie to watch while we place their braces or make any adjustments needed at follow-up appointments. This helps the children focus on something other than what is happening in their mouths, and we find if they are watching a favorite movie, they will feel more relaxed.

We also want to ensure the parents of our patients are comfortable and feel at ease during their child’s appointments. We are always available to answer any questions or address any concerns you may have. We are a team, and we want to ensure your child has a winning experience with us! If there is ever anything our office can do to help make your child’s appointment even better, we are all ears.

Every member of our staff is well-trained and adept at providing compassionate, personalized care for every patient we treat. We love our patients like family, and work hard to ensure patients of all needs know they have a safe, loving environment waiting for them.

If you have any questions about orthodontic care or would like to schedule a consultation, call HD Orthodontics today at 562-283-6590.