Stress-free dental visits for special needs patients in St. Louis. Safe, gentle, expert care tailored to every individual. Call to schedule today!
Visiting the dentist can be overwhelming for individuals with special needs. Sensory sensitivities, medical complexities, and anxiety can all make dental care feel out of reach. We’re here to change that at The Dental Anesthesia Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
We specialize in compassionate, customized dental care for patients with physical, developmental, cognitive, or behavioral conditions. Whether you’re a caregiver, parent, or patient, here’s what you can expect when visiting our practice.
Step 1: A Personalized Consultation
Before any dental work begins, we schedule a thorough consultation. During this initial visit, our team takes the time to:
- Review your medical and dental history
- Understand unique challenges or triggers
- Discuss previous dental experiences
- Collaborate with caregivers or medical providers
Our goal is to build trust and design a treatment plan that works for your individual needs. We treat patients of all ages, from young children with autism to older adults with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
Step 2: A Calming, Sensory-Friendly Environment
Our office doesn’t feel like a traditional dental clinic — and that’s intentional. We’ve designed every space to be:
- Low-stimulation: Soft lighting, minimal noise, and gentle colors
- Predictable: Familiar routines and clear communication
- Welcoming: Our staff is specially trained in patience, empathy, and behavior support
We encourage caregivers to bring comfort items or tools like noise-canceling headphones or weighted blankets.
Step 3: Safe, Gentle Sedation Options
As a leading provider of sedation dentistry in St. Louis, we offer the full spectrum of sedation options — including services rarely available at general dental offices.
Depending on the patient’s needs, we may recommend:
- Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas): For mild anxiety and shorter visits
- Oral Sedation: Taken in pill form before the appointment
- IV Sedation: A deeper form of relaxation, administered onsite
- General Anesthesia: Complete sleep dentistry with hospital-grade safety protocols
Step 4: Compassionate, Step-by-Step Care
Our team understands how important it is to go slow, explain each step, and adapt to the patient’s comfort level in real time. That’s why:
- We use simple, reassuring language
- We allow breaks during procedures when needed
- We provide visual aids and demonstrations
- We welcome caregiver involvement throughout
Every patient is treated with dignity and respect — no matter how complex their needs may be.
Step 5: Post-Visit Support & Follow-Up
Our care doesn’t end when the procedure is over. We ensure that families leave with:
- Clear written and verbal aftercare instructions
- Emergency contact information for questions or concerns
- Optional follow-up calls to check in on healing and comfort
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!
Why Choose The Dental Anesthesia Center in St. Louis?
We are not a typical dental office. What makes us different?
- We are one of the only dental practices in Missouri licensed to provide general anesthesia in-office
- Our dentists are board-certified in sedation and sleep dentistry
- We treat patients with disabilities, medical conditions, and severe anxiety every day
- Our team includes anesthesiologists and dental professionals who specialize in special needs care
Whether it’s a routine cleaning or complex dental work under anesthesia, we’re here to help.
Ready to Schedule a Special Needs Dental Visit?
If you or your loved one needs specialized dental care in a safe, understanding environment — we’re ready when you are.
