Handicapped and medically compromised children and adults suffer from a multitude of physical and mental challenges.  Because of the need for assistance completing even the most fundamental tasks, caregivers commonly become completely overwhelmed with their long-term basic care. The result, very often, is focusing on visibly important responsibilities, while neglecting items that are not so apparent.  It is frequent to find that these individuals often suffer from various degrees of dental neglect, as the mouth is routinely overlooked.

Slowly their teeth and gums begin to deteriorate leaving them with severe periodontal disease. Prolonged consumption of sweetened liquid medications causes rampant dental decay.  Severely handicapped adults are known to lose teeth almost ten times quicker than healthy adults, leaving them with an inability to eat properly. Because their motor function is sometimes altered, these individuals are not able to replace lost teeth with dentures, partials or other prostheses, thus they are left only to eat pureed foods.  It is a fact that special needs and medically compromised patients require specifically designed care depending upon their particular disability or illness.  Cancer patients often require specialized visits prior to, during, and after radiation & chemotherapy visits to ensure ideal oral health, as the oral tissues are commonly altered during these therapies.  It is extremely important for both medically compromised and handicapped individuals to receive routine dental care, in fact, we commonly recommend that patients at high risk for decay and gum disease be seen more frequently than most; as many as 4-6 times a year simply for routine prophylactic cleanings and examinations.  This routine care is what ultimately provides these individuals with improved long-term quality of life and avoids all the possible complications associated with neglecting the oral tissues.

At West Valley Pediatric Dentistry, our doctors specialize in developing routine and manageable protocols specifically created for each individual’s particular needs.  Specific homecare instructions, regular office visits, use of hospital facilities and developing specialized oral health devices to better manage physical and mental barriers all are a part of this new routine.

Medically Compromised.  With the use of hospital based anesthesia to precipitate the delivery of dental care for severely medically compromised patients, West Valley Pediatric Dentistry has the ability to care for a wide range of advanced pediatric medical problems.  Routinely working in conjunction with a child’s individual or team of physicians, we are able to provide the highest level of multidisciplinary care available.  With doctors on staff at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the leading pediatric facility in the Phoenix metropolitan area, West Valley Pediatric Dentistry has the ability to provide dental care on an out-patient basis or for admitted patients.  By working closely with hospital specialists, parents and physicians, our dedicated hospital coordinator is able to organize hospital care, taking much of the stress commonly associated with this event out of the hands of the parents.  Ultimately, our doctor’s feel providing dental care for sick children is an extremely important and rewarding part of our occupation, thus West Valley Pediatric Dentistry routinely accepts many patients for such care from other local pediatric dental offices that do not provide care in a hospital setting.  The trust other local pediatric dental providers afford us, is another example of the solid reputation that West Valley Pediatric Dentistry has developed while focusing on providing the highest quality of care possible.

We routinely provide care for medically compromised children with:

Special Healthcare Needs.  During a post-graduate pediatric dental residency training program, doctors obtain experience in providing dental care for handicapped or patients with special healthcare needs.  West Valley Pediatric Dentistry prides itself on being one of only a few facilities within the Phoenix metropolitan area providing routine dental care for such individuals.  While providing routine dental care for over 2,000 special needs patients, we claim to be one of the largest dental providers in the Valley.  Dr. Brownstein also received advanced specialty training in the area of cleft lip & palate and craniofacial anomalies which makes him one of two pediatric dentists with such credentials within the entire
state of Arizona.

We have expertise in providing care for both children and adults with a variety of special healthcare needs.  Some disorders that we’ve provided care for in the past included: