For Children With Special Dental Needs, It’s Especially Important To Find A Pediatric Dentist You Can Trust With Your Child’s Early And Long-Term Dental Health.
Good oral health begins early in life. While some children are very susceptible to tooth decay, gum disease, or oral trauma, early dental care can prevent these issues in baby teeth and adult teeth!
For children with special healthcare needs, it can be a challenge to find the right dental care. With a general dentist, the process of scheduling an initial appointment can be painful and especially hard when you’re juggling work, school, extracurriculars, and other appointments. The waiting room and treatment rooms can leave you and your child with that icky feeling of dread that sometimes goes hand-in-hand with a visit to the dentist. Who wants that? Nobody!
With a special needs pediatric dentist, that feeling of dread is replaced with joy and excitement. Your child should look forward to their visit and as for you? You should feel relaxed knowing your child is in honest, trustworthy hands.
How Is A Special Needs Pediatric Dentists Different From A General Dentist?
Special needs dentists undergo additional years of training specifically to treat and provide dental work to children with special healthcare needs.
What exactly is considered a special need? According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, special healthcare needs are defined as “physical, developmental, mental, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, or emotional impairment, or limiting condition that requires medical management, healthcare intervention, and/or use of specialized services or programs.”
We follow the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s expert recommendations for working with children with special healthcare needs, which include:
Does My Teen Need Braces?
At each visit, Dr. Laura or Dr. Susie will evaluate your tween or teen’s teeth for needed alignment adjustments. Getting orthodontic care is as easy as can be with our in-house treatment options. Dr. W. Vaughn Holland, our orthodontist, is available to provide a comprehensive evaluation for braces.
We believe in providing outstanding care with a gentle approach, and we look forward to your kids growing up smiling!
Your Friendly Special Needs Pediatric Dentist To The Rescue!
This is where our pediatric dental clinic comes in. We specialize in pediatric dentistry and we’re here to ensure your special needs child’s oral health (and overall health!) needs are met. Our pediatric dentists and staff understand the issues and challenges your child may face, so we work hard to provide a warm, nurturing environment for everyone.
Located in St. Johns County, we cater to patients all over the area, including:
Kids Love Us. Parents Trust Us!
We treat children all day every day, and we want your kids to look forward to their visit to see us. We want it to be a fun place for your kids and make them feel delighted to be going in for a dental visit. That’s why our bright, welcoming office features toys, video games, and movies to help relax our young patients and ease those pre-visit anxieties.
With modern treatment rooms and specially trained dentists and team members, you can trust that your child is in good hands. We take the pain out of scheduling your appointments, making the process as smooth as possible. Customer service is a priority for us along with providing top-notch dental care to your child with special healthcare needs.
Want to stick by your child for the entire visit? No problem! You’re welcome and encouraged to join throughout the entire visit and we are happy to answer any questions you may have before, throughout, and even after the appointment.
Worried about taking your child to a place filled with bright lights and the sound of humming dental equipment? Don’t be! Our friendly, warm, and considerate team aim to provide a remarkable experience from beginning to end! A visit to our office is sure to make your child go from feeling leery about going to the dentist to feeling totally delighted by the end of their visit.
Want to hear what our patients’ parents have to say? Check out our reviews!
What About After The Visit?
We know that good oral health is about more than twice a year visits to the dentist. That is why we take a highly preventative approach so that we are able to stop problems before they start. We do not believe in just slapping fillings on everyone. A proactive approach is better than a reactive one, so we will take the time to discuss diet and hygiene with you and your child. After all, we want your child to have a bright, healthy smile for their whole lives!
Do you have a question that is not answered here? We would love to help! Please call us at (904) 808-4700, email us at info@stjohnskids.com, or just stop by our office to speak to one of our friendly team members in person!
