How to prepare for
the dental visit
Overview
Getting ready to visit the dentist can feel challenging. This page gives helpful tips to make things easier and more comfortable. It talks about how important it is to let the dental team know about what your child needs or what makes them feel nervous. It also helps you understand what to expect and reminds you to celebrate the little wins along the way.
Speak with the dental team
You don’t have to tell the dentist that your child is autistic, but it can be helpful. The more the dentist and their team know, the better they can get ready and make changes to help your child feel more at ease. Letting them know if your child finds certain words, sounds, or lights uncomfortable can really help. You can also talk about things your child prefers, like having a male or female dentist, or always seeing the same dentist so it feels more familiar and less worrying.
Look at this section here and the resource below to think about what questions and adjustments you may ask for.
Manage expectations
When getting ready for a dental visit, it’s helpful to think about what you hope to achieve and what works best for your child. Every child is different, so setting goals that feel realistic can make things easier. For some parents, the first goal might be simply spending some time in the waiting room over a few appointments to help the child get used to the environment. For others, it might be successful if the child can sit in the dental chair for a couple of seconds. These small steps all count as good progress. It can also help to let the dentist know in advance how you think your child might manage the visit. This helps the dental team understand what to expect and plan the visit in a way that supports your child. Sometimes dental visits won’t go as planned and that’s okay. It might feel like things are going backwards, especially after a long break, illness, or a stressful time. Your child might find it harder to cope than before. That’s why it’s important to celebrate small wins and remember that getting used to the dentist takes time.
Prepare for the visit
Before the visit, some parents find it helpful to get a bit of information to make things easier. You can call the dental practice and ask if they can make any changes to help your child feel more comfortable during the visit such as extending the length of the visit, scheduling appointments at quieter times, and understanding parking and logistical details. You may also want to prepare a list of questions to ask the dentist. These could include asking about the team's experience with autistic children, the option of a quiet waiting area, or specific accommodations like dimming the lights.
Downloadable resources
Make a dental passport
Parents have told us that they have made their own passports for going to school, hospital, etc. They have found this helpful to let professionals know about their child's specific needs, preferences, and triggers. These passports can include important information such as sensory sensitivities, communication preferences, and effective calming strategies, which can help make the experience more manageable.
We understand that having multiple passports can be overwhelming. To make this easier, we have developed a one-page document that can be attached to your existing passports, specifically covering dental-related need.
Other examples of health passports
Other examples of passports include NHS England, National Autistic Society, and NHS Leeds Teaching Hospitals.
Ask for reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are changes made to ensure that individuals with disabilities or specific needs can access services and facilities. These adjustments can include modifications to the physical environment, like providing accessible facilities, or changes in communication, such as using visual aids or offering information in easy-to-read formats. They may also include flexible appointment scheduling or additional support during medical procedures. Consider what appointment times work best for your child. Some parents prefer school holidays to avoid disrupting their child's routine, while others find morning appointments easier so their child can settle back into their school routine afterward. You can watch this video by the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to learn more about reasonable adjustments:
Make social stories
Some parents have found it helpful to use social stories and visual supports to help their child understand what will happen during a dental visit. Social stories are short descriptions of a particular situation, event, or activity that include specific information about what to expect and why. These stories can help your child feel more prepared and less anxious about the visit. Additionally, pictures of the dental team and the clinic can be very helpful in familiarising your child with the environment and the people they will meet.
The National Autistic Society goes through this in more details covering:
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How to use social stories to explain dental visits to your child.
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Strategies for preparing your child for the dental environment and procedures.
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Tips for making the visit as stress-free as possible.
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Advice on communicating your child's needs to the dental team.
You may also find these visual supports helpful. Developed Harris, Marshman, and Short (2019), in collaboration with Widgit Health, they are designed to help children understand what to expect during dental visits. Available from widgit-health.
Key messages
Watch again
Jump straight to what parents and early years professionals have said about going to the dentist.
