Dental Care for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Dental Care for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Parents of children with cerebral palsy already know the unique demands and requirements that must be met just to cope with everyday life. While other life challenges may seem to be of more concern, dental care for children with cerebral palsy is as much a priority as it is for other youngsters.

It is important that parents of a child with cerebral palsy partner with us at KiDDS Dental to create an individualized treatment plan that meets the child’s needs with a minimum of undue difficulty, while still protecting his or her teeth and creating a self-care program they can use when they reach adulthood.

The first thing the parent needs to do is communicate the child’s needs in advance of their visit. Although our clinical team is trained to deal with the challenges of cerebral palsy, every case is unique. The more we know before your child sits in our dental chair, the better we can tailor our office environment to meet his or her needs, and the better equipped we will be to recommend a specialist if necessary. We have specialized equipment and protocols we can follow, from anesthetics that will make dental procedures less stressful to the use of nonverbal communication methods, such as squeezing a hand in place of speech to indicate discomfort.

Children with cerebral palsy often have elevated risks of certain dental disorders, including

• bruxism (tooth grinding)
• malocclusion (displacement of the teeth)
• difficulty swallowing
• gum disease

It’s important to determine whether your child exhibits any of these conditions. If he or she does, Dr. Jared would love to create a plan to best deal with it at home.

Protecting the dental health of your child with cerebral palsy is a team effort. Make sure to keep us involved.

Give us a call at (509)-891-7070 to schedule an appointment today!