For caregivers
Care for adults with disabilities
A dental visit can be hard for an adult with an intellectual, developmental, sensory or physical disability, and for the people who support them. We plan longer visits, welcome a caregiver at the chair, and speak to the adult first.
Tell us what helps: noise, light, touch, routines, a communication device, how the person shows "stop". We write it in the chart and use it at every visit.
What happens
Most people start with a visit that has no treatment in it.
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Step 1: A call before the first visit
A caregiver or the adult calls and tells us what helps and what doesn't. Please leave health details for the call or the patient portal, not the website form.
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Step 2: A practice visit
Come see the room and meet the team. Sit in the chair and try the light, with no treatment.
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Step 3: A longer, slower visit
We book extra time and keep the same team where we can. We explain each step to the adult in plain words, with a caregiver beside them if they want one.
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Step 4: Who decides
The adult decides for themselves whenever they can. Where a guardian or health care surrogate decides, we ask for the paperwork and still explain each step to the adult.
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Step 5: Sedation, if it fits
Some adults do better with nitrous oxide, oral sedation or IV sedation. We review the choice with the adult and the caregiver, and with the person's physician if needed.
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Step 6: A plan for home
We show the adult and the caregiver how to brush and floss in a way that works for that person.
Comfort, choices and care
Comfort
Headphones, sunglasses for the light and a blanket are here if they help. We don't hold anyone down. If a visit isn't going to work, we stop and try another way on another day.
Other choices, and waiting
If the visit needs a setting we don't offer, such as general anesthesia in a hospital, we say so early and help you find one. Waiting can let a problem grow; we will tell you what we see.
Risks and after-care
Risks depend on the treatment and on any sedation. Your dentist goes over them with the adult and the caregiver before anything starts, and each sedation page lists its own.
How it's billed
Tell us if a program helps pay for the adult's care. We give the written estimate the program asks for, and we tell you what we know about how it treats sedation before you schedule.
How fees work
Questions about care for adults with disabilities
Can a caregiver stay in the room?
Yes. A caregiver can sit beside the adult for the visit, unless a part of it, such as an X-ray, needs the room clear. We tell you before.
Does the adult have to speak for themselves?
No. We talk with the adult in whatever way works, and we ask the caregiver what helps.
Who signs the consent?
The adult, whenever they can. If a guardian or health care surrogate decides, we ask for the paperwork on file.
What if the visit can't be finished?
We stop and plan the next one differently. A short visit that goes well is better than a long one that doesn't.
Provided by a general dentist
Call and tell us what helps. A caregiver can call for the adult.