{"id":1215,"date":"2014-12-10T10:51:33","date_gmt":"2014-12-10T15:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lakeoconeedentalblog.com\/2014\/12\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/"},"modified":"2014-12-10T10:51:33","modified_gmt":"2014-12-10T15:51:33","slug":"considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"Considerations For Dental Patients With Special Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lakeoconeedentalblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/specialneedsbrushing133.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-995837\" \/><strong>FOR BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS<\/strong>, dental care can be challenging. In some cases, limited coordination can make brushing and flossing tricky. In other cases there may be less access to professional care. Some patients may experience high anxiety levels too.<\/p>\n<p>Medications that lead to dry mouth can also contribute to dental care challenges.<\/p>\n<p>But despite these challenges, everyone deserves a healthy smile. <strong>Here are three tips for helping patients and caregivers:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Let Us Help<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A dental office can feel overwhelming to those with special needs. But you know that regular preventative care training is essential\u2014especially for patients and caregivers who may need instructions about specialized home care. Let us know what we can do to help.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Utilize Special Tools If Needed<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The average toothbrush may not be ideal. Look into alternative options that can help.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Electric toothbrushes can sometimes do more with less effort.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Modifying a toothbrush with a gripping tool is often very helpful.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>A water pik can be more comfortable and a fun alternative to flossing.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>If you\u2019re cleaning someone else\u2019s mouth, a floss pik can make it much easier.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>3. Simple Preventative Habits<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Certain simple habits can curtail dental risks, especially when thorough, daily dental care is difficult.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Minimize snacks<\/strong>, especially starchy, sugary ones. Opt for crisp fruits and veggies.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reduce soft drinks<\/strong>, energy drinks, and sports drinks. These have lots of acid and sugar that can harm teeth.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Drink water regularly<\/strong>, and rinse after each meal or snack.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>We Know That Each Patient Is Unique<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When we talk about special needs, <strong>we recognize we\u2019re addressing a very diverse group from elderly men and women with Alzheimer\u2019s disease, to children with developmental disabilities.<\/strong> We know each patient who comes through our door has different challenges.<\/p>\n<p>Please consider us your go-to resource. If we can\u2019t accommodate your exact needs, we will do everything we can to advise you and point you in the right direction. Please <strong>call<\/strong> to visit with us about your specific needs. Or, if you know someone who could benefit from this post, please pass this information along.<\/p>\n<h4>Thanks for the trust you place in us. We appreciate you.<\/h4>\n<h6>Top image by Flickr user <span style=\"color: #2a7abd\"><a style=\"color: #2a7abd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/honzasoukup\/3711073454\/\" target=\"_blank\">Honza Soukup<\/a><\/span> used under <span style=\"color: #2a7abd\"><a style=\"color: #2a7abd\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\">Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license<\/a><\/span>. Image cropped and modified from original.<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>FOR BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS<\/strong>, dental care can sometimes be challenging&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Considerations For Dental Patients With Special Needs - Lake Oconee Dental Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Considerations For Dental Patients With Special Needs - Lake Oconee Dental Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"FOR BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, dental care can sometimes be challenging...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lake Oconee Dental Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-12-10T15:51:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/\",\"name\":\"Considerations For Dental Patients With Special Needs - Lake Oconee Dental Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-12-10T15:51:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Considerations For Dental Patients With Special Needs\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Lake Oconee Dental Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/author\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Considerations For Dental Patients With Special Needs - Lake Oconee Dental Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Considerations For Dental Patients With Special Needs - Lake Oconee Dental Blog","og_description":"FOR BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, dental care can sometimes be challenging...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/","og_site_name":"Lake Oconee Dental Blog","article_published_time":"2014-12-10T15:51:33+00:00","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/","url":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/","name":"Considerations For Dental Patients With Special Needs - Lake Oconee Dental Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2014-12-10T15:51:33+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/considerations-for-dental-patients-with-special-needs\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Considerations For Dental Patients With Special Needs"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/","name":"Lake Oconee Dental Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/author\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lakeoconeedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}