0117 450 6666

Special care dentistry

Everyone deserves the right to have equal access to high-quality dental care, however this can be more difficult to obtain for adults and adolescents transitioning to adulthood with complex needs…

Periodontics

You and your dentist know your mouth better than anyone else, but despite best efforts, sometimes specialist help is required to stabilise periodontal (gum) disease…

Special care dentistry

Everyone deserves the right to have equal access to high-quality dental care, however this can be more difficult to obtain for adults and adolescents transitioning to adulthood with complex needs.  This includes those with learning and physical disabilities, or those with medical conditions which require additional dental care.

Most patients are therefore referred to the hospital for treatment but there are often lengthy waits. Here at Bristol Dental Specialists, we are available to accept private referrals from other health care professionals and also directly from parents or carers who would like to access this care.

Our special care dentistry aims

  • To promote the oral health of disabled people of all ages
  • To promote links with organisations representing disabled people
  • To consult with disability groups to identify their needs and demands
  • To study the barriers relating to the provision of oral health care for disabled people

Common special care dentistry conditions

CO-OPERATION

Some of our patients have disabilities that affect their psychological or mental health state or mental health state. These patients may require anxiety management, more time and may require the use of conscious sedation techniques.

COMMUNICATION

A patient may be non-verbal or have significant communication difficulties. They may have internal barriers like cognitive impairment or autism, but we have worked hard to ensure that external barriers, like not giving sufficient time for appointments and not producing information in formats available to all patients have been removed.

MOBILITY

We have a ground floor surgery with access ramps and wide doors.  Please let us know if you would find the ramps useful, as we will set them up in advance of your arrival. Assistance can be given transitioning into our dental chair.

ORAL RISK

Some patients may require multi-disciplinary management of their oral care and have high risk factors for oral disease.

LEGAL & ETHICAL

Best interest decision-making over treatment plans or a second opinion for patients who have doubtful or fluctuating capacity to consent.

MEDICAL

Patients who have a progressive degenerative condition or unstable medical conditions. There are multiple barriers to both good oral care and accessing dental services for people with learning disabilities. Please let us know if there is anything more that we can do. Rest assured that a long wait in a busy waiting room is not going to be a factor for your visit to Bristol Dental Specialists.

Scroll to Top