Today the Pacific Dental Services (PDS®) Foundation Dentists for Special Needs clinic opens its doors to provide high-quality oral health care for children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities. The new clinic offers patients with special needs sensory-integrated operatories and state-of-the-art technology, as well as specially-trained dentists equipped with behavioral and environmental techniques to ensure successful patient visits. To schedule an appointment with the PDS Foundation Dentists for Special Needs clinic, click HERE.
Among the clinic’s leadership is Jack Dillenberg, DDS, who will serve as the Clinical Director; and Jacob Dent, DDS, a renowned dentist who has been practicing dentistry for more than 15 years. “As a parent of a child with special needs, I understand the stress and anxiety that comes with going to doctors’ visits,” said Dr. Dent, who serves as the clinic’s practicing dentist. “It’s critical to establish trust between the dental team and the patients. This can only be accomplished with patience and understanding.”
4.8% of Arizonans have cognitive disabilities. Nationwide, more than 52 million people in the U.S. have special needs. Unfortunately, less than 10% of dentists treat patients with disabilities because of their lack of training and the patients’ negative reactions to common dental procedures. For this reason, access to specialized care such as dentistry is among the main healthcare concerns for people with special needs.
The PDS Foundation Dentists for Special Needs clinic offers patients comprehensive oral health care including crowns, fillings, hygiene, implants, root canals, and oral surgery, and will also provide emergency care when needed. In addition, the not-for-profit clinic, which was founded by the PDS Foundation, will provide patients and their caregivers with education to help them with their oral health in between visits. The PDS Foundation has been leading the charge to make dentistry more accessible to people with special needs through training and advocacy. The Foundation’s leadership understands that caring for patients with special needs takes not only special training, but also compassion.
Continues Dr. Dent, who also serves as the clinical director of Special Olympics Texas and Special Olympics Louisiana, “We develop individual treatment plans tailored for each person. I treat all of my patients and their caregivers with the same compassion and understanding as I do with my own family.”
The PDS Foundation Dentists for Special Needs clinic is part of the PDS Foundation’s mission to improve oral healthcare for all patients, one person at a time.
About Pacific Dental Services® Foundation
The Pacific Dental Services Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to create opportunities to serve through improving oral healthcare locally, nationally and internationally. By creating opportunities to serve, the PDS Foundation positively enhances the lives of those in need, and in turn, those who serve. The Foundation provides access and advocacy to disadvantaged and underserved communities in four key areas: PDS Foundation Mobile Dental Clinic, Special Needs Advocacy and Training, Oral Health Scholarships, and International Trips. For more information, visit www.pdsfoundation.org.
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