Special Needs Dentistry: Everyone Deserves a Healthy Smile!

The Americans with Disabilities Act defines disability as a “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” (Specific examples of major life activities addressed by the ADA include functions such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing and learning.)

Disabilities may be congenital (present from birth) or develop later in life. If your child is living with a disability, you know how deeply important access to quality, compassionate medical care is, and that includes oral healthcare. At Harp Pediatric Dentistry, we want to help every person we treat develop and maintain a healthy, happy smile, and we believe being inclusive of children with special needs is an essential part of this mission.

There is much to be considered when customizing care for individuals with special needs, from ramps, entryways, office furniture, space, and atmosphere, to the technology we use and the amount of time scheduled for appointments. Dr. Mark Dawoud considers all of it and more to provide quality and compassionate care for kids with special needs. Tailored treatment plans may include sedation and anesthesia, which can really improve dental experiences for our patients with special needs as well as those with dental fears and phobias.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with your Palm Harbor pediatric dentist with any questions, concerns, or comments, or just to schedule an appointment to come in and see us!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

The post Special Needs Dentistry: Everyone Deserves a Healthy Smile! appeared first on Harp Pediatric Dentistry.



from Harp Pediatric Dentistry https://harpdental.com/blog/special-needs-dentistry-everyone-deserves-a-healthy-smile/
Harp Pediatric Dentistry
31067 US Highway 19 N
Palm Harbor, FL 34684
(727) 219-9662

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Help! My Child is Terrified of the Dentist

Image
If you’re the parent of a young child, you know their brains are similar to sponges that soak up everything around them—especially in their first five years, which neuroscientists say is when they’ll do the most learning and developing in their entire life. At this formative time, your child may amaze you with what they notice: your facial expressions, the different tones of your voice, and your habits. If your habits include regular dental visits and an excellent oral hygiene routine, they’ll notice and want to emulate you. If you happen to feel anxious about your dental visits, or you groan when you’ve got to floss and brush, they may synchronize and feel your dread. This could lead to dental fears that stick with them for years—potentially a lifetime! Kids Can Be Courageous If you’re feeling guilty right now, go ahead and put that away as it won’t serve you or your little one. Everyone has some room for improvement, and Coastal Pediatric Dentistry® is here to help show you an...
Read more

Going for the Gold?

Image
On the left is the older allow, on the right the new one that my lab has chosen to use The cost of a penny weight of pure gold is currently $79.53. The cost of a penny weight of pure palladium is $130.6. It used to be that palladium was added instead of gold to the precious metals often used for pfms, but now laboratories are finding that palladium is no longer affordable. The lab that I am using has just changed the formulation of the metal it's using to one that has more gold than palladium. I really do not mind, but metals with more gold are softer and often easier for a dentist to accidentally polish off delicate margins. It is important when polishing "higher gold" formulations to exert less hand pressure when performing the final polishing of the crown's margins. Other wise there should be no problem with this change. Traditionally labs have chosen alloys with higher gold percentages for optimal esthetics, since alloys with higher concentrations of ...
Read more

Lemon Juice – The Good, the Bad, & the Sour

Image
In a great tale of opposites, lemon juice can be both acidic and basic, or alkaline. Read on to find out why people are talking about this, and what it means for your oral and overall health . What is pH and why does it matter? Drinking lemon juice (usually diluted in a glass of water or added to a cup of tea) is a beloved health tonic among fans of natural medicine. Potential benefits include lower cholesterol, lower inflammation in the body, and increased metabolism and energy. Lemon also contains high levels of antioxidants and vitamin C that boost your immune system. On a scale from 0-14, a pH of 7 is neutral (pure water) while numbers below 7 are acidic (unhealthy), and above 7 are basic or alkaline (healthy). Believers in holistic health blame many ailments on the body’s pH being too low or too acidic. Increasing your body’s pH is called “alkalizing.” Lemon juice in its natural state is acidic with a pH of about 2, but once metabolized it actually becomes alkaline with a pH ...
Read more