We are committed to providing the "dental home" for children with special needs so that they can receive excellent oral care in a loving environment. We look forward to meeting you and your child to create an optimal dental experience. We offer a wide scope of treatment modalities which could be anything from short, multiple visits (Steps to Success Program) to comprehensive treatment under general anesthesia. Other available options may involve the use of oral and inhalation conscious sedation.

The observations and suggestions you provide us in the Parent/Guardian Questionnaire will give us a fuller picture of your child's personality, ability levels, sensitivities, strengths and weaknesses. Together, we can then formulate a Treatment Plan that takes into account the dental behavioral needs of your child.

Steps to Success Program
With the increase in diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs), we recognize the importance of tailoring the dental experience to accommodate children with these characteristics. For many of our ASD patients, we have found that the Steps to Success Program is a wonderful introduction to the dental office. This repetitive tasking approach helps your child develop a sense of trust and rapport with us through the use of several short visits that make our office a familiar, friendly place. Steps that may seem small such as merely sitting in the dental chair or "putting hands on tummy" or "legs out straight" are actually significant accomplishments! Our expectations will be adapted to each child's tolerance level. Some children may achieve in only a few visits what others will in five or six. In order to keep the focus on your child, we usually recommend that siblings and friends do not accompany you to appointments.

Parental involvement is a mandatory part of this program. Practicing certain skills at home that we introduce in the office is necessary for your child to progress. Also, if your child has an IEP (Individual Educational Program), we encourage you to ask for the addition of oral care training as one of the self-help goals in the plan. Our front office staff will give you an estimate for the costs of the program which will probably not be covered by your dental insurance. However, it is our opinion that for many children, this approach can be very effective in helping to attain a high level of comfort in the dental environment and enjoying a lifetime of good oral health.