We understand these unique challenges and have developed specialized approaches to help make dental care more comfortable and manageable for sensitive children.
For children with sensory processing sensitivities (SPS), everyday experiences can sometimes feel overwhelming. The bright lights, unfamiliar sounds, and physical sensations of a dental visit can be particularly challenging.
At The Dental Anesthesia Center, we specialize in creating a safe and supportive environment to ensure every child receives the care they need, no matter their sensory sensitivities.
Understanding Sensory Processing Challenges
Sensory processing sensitivities can affect how a child responds to sensory input, such as touch, sound, light, or smell. These sensitivities are common among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, and other developmental conditions, but they can also exist independently.
Children with sensory processing sensitivities may experience:
- Heightened sensitivity to sounds like dental drills and suction devices
- Discomfort with bright overhead lights
- Difficulty with unfamiliar tastes and textures
- Anxiety about physical touch in and around the mouth
- Overwhelming feelings in new environments
- Challenges with spatial awareness in the dental chair
Creating a Comfortable Environment
Our practice takes several steps to create a more welcoming and comfortable environment:
Pre-Visit Preparation
- Offering “preview” visits to familiarize children with the office
- Providing detailed descriptions of what to expect
- Working with parents to identify specific triggers and concerns
- Creating individualized accommodation plans
Environmental Modifications
- Dimmed lighting options
- Noise-canceling headphones availability
- Weighted blankets for comfort
- Private treatment rooms to minimize outside stimulation
- Flexible scheduling during quieter office hours
Challenges of Dental Visits for Sensory-Sensitive Children
The dental office can feel like a minefield of triggers for many families. Common obstacles include:
- Noise: The hum of equipment or sudden sounds can be distressing.
- Touch: Physical contact, such as a dental cleaning, may feel overwhelming.
- Waiting Rooms: Bright, busy environments may increase anxiety before the appointment begins.
How The Dental Anesthesia Center Supports Sensory-Sensitive Children
At The Dental Anesthesia Center, we are committed to providing a compassionate and inclusive environment tailored to the needs of sensory-sensitive children. Here’s how we make it possible:
- Customized Treatment Plans
- Every child is unique, and we work closely with families to create a plan that minimizes sensory triggers. From scheduling shorter visits to adjusting techniques, we adapt to meet your child’s needs.
- Sensory-Friendly Environment – We strive to create a calming, welcoming atmosphere. This includes:
- Offering quiet rooms to reduce auditory stimulation.
- Dimming lights or providing sunglasses to alleviate discomfort from bright lighting.
- Weighted blankets or other tools are used to provide soothing sensory input.
- Sedation Dentistry for Relaxation
- Sedation can be an invaluable tool for children who need additional support. Options like nitrous oxide (laughing gas) or IV sedation allow children to stay calm and comfortable throughout their visit.
- Trained and Compassionate Team
- Our dentists and staff are experienced in working with children with sensory sensitivities. We use gentle, non-threatening approaches and explain each step in a safe and predictable way for your child.
Schedule a Consultation
If your child has sensory processing sensitivities, we invite you to schedule a consultation to discuss their specific needs and develop a personalized treatment plan. Contact The Dental Anesthesia Center to learn more about how we can help make dental care a positive experience for your child.
Our adult daughter has cerebral palsy and requires being fully sedated when having anything done. The DAC was such a positive experience. Dr Hoffmann and his staff were kind and did great explaining things. As a mom, I had a lot of questions about how certain things would be done as usually she’s in her chair when getting examined at her local dentist and they had everything under control including transferring from her chair to the dentist chair and keeping her secured in the dentist chair as well as keeping her neck and legs comfortable. Many thanks to them!
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words. We’re grateful for your trust and happy to hear that you had such a positive experience with our team. Our goal is always to provide compassionate, attentive care in a safe and comfortable environment. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
TWENTY YEARS! That is how long our special needs son has been seeing Dr Hoffman and his dedicated team! Our son suffers from an intellectual disability, is non-verbal, and is unable to cooperate for dental cleaning, x-rays, or other routine dental work. He requires general anesthesia. It is such a blessing to avoid a hospital setting just for dental work.
The team is always well staffed, friendly, personable and very professional. Every single year we have been supported by a deeply caring team who are dedicated to patients with a very wide range of disabilities and needs. They have shared useful dental advice and tools (3 sided toothbrushes, blocks to hold open their mouth for daily at-home care, etc.) which improved our son’s daily dental care. We always receive a call back the day after to check his recovery-even on weekends!
Highly recommended and so appreciative to have this team supporting our ever long road of raising a special needs son.
Response from the owner:Wow — thank you for sharing such a heartfelt review! We are so grateful for your trust and for allowing our team to be part of your family’s journey over the years. It means so much to us to know that our care and support have made a difference. We truly appreciate your kind words and recommendation!
We've been coming to Dr.Hoffman for twenty years. There's a reason we keep coming back! He's great. His staff is great. He's double boarded as an MD (Anesthesia) and DDS!!! Our son with special needs needs sedation for even a cleaning. You get what you pay for. He's expensive and... we know he's getting the best care!
Response from the owner:Thank you for trusting our team over the years and for your kind words about Dr. Hoffmann and our staff. We truly value your confidence in the care we provide!
Omg!! This place is Amazing! The people who work here are so very nice and understanding. I love this team
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words! We truly appreciate your support and are grateful to have such wonderful patients.
Searching for a new dental clinic is challenging for someone who has
dental anxiety, fear, and traumatic experiences in a dental chair. The staff and doctors at the Dental Anesthesia Center were immediately very welcoming. Dr. Thoms put together a very detailed plan to repair and replace the previous work that I had in the past that was now causing problems. Putting my faith in him was the best thing that I could have done for my situation. I am more than completely satisfied with all of the extensive dental work that I’ve had with Dr.Thoms. I had my fourth sleep dentistry experience yesterday and I’m very happy with my results. I highly recommend this practice and truly want to give them more than five stars! Thank you for giving me back my health and confidence.
Response from the owner:We know it isn’t always easy to find a dental office where you feel at ease, so your words mean the world to us. We’re so glad you feel comfortable with our team and truly appreciate your trust and recommendation!
