{"id":408,"date":"2025-03-12T08:13:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T08:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/?p=408"},"modified":"2025-05-05T20:14:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T20:14:03","slug":"how-to-help-autistic-loved-ones-protect-their-smiles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/12\/how-to-help-autistic-loved-ones-protect-their-smiles\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Help Autistic Loved Ones Protect Their Smiles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AdobeStock_417802124__1746472685_82054.jpg\" alt=\"A themed illustration for World Autism Awareness Day\" class=\"wp-image-409\" width=\"277\" height=\"166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AdobeStock_417802124__1746472685_82054.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AdobeStock_417802124__1746472685_82054-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AdobeStock_417802124__1746472685_82054-768x461.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You may not have known, but April 2nd is a big deal in the special needs community. It happens to be Autism Awareness Day &#8211; a time to honor those on the autism spectrum and their needs. With that said, you should mark the occasion by helping autistic loved ones protect their smiles. Your local DeLand dentist will even get you started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/checkups-cleanings.html\">on the process<\/a>. Just keep reading to learn about autism&#8217;s connection to oral health and ways to protect autistic smiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Autism &amp; Oral Risks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn\u2019t get much attention sometimes, but the truth is that autism makes specific oral health issues more likely. This elevated risk even starts as early as childhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that autism greatly affects a person\u2019s behavior over time. In both kids and adults, it often leads to bad oral habits, poor food choices, and other risky actions. Those things will damage one\u2019s teeth and gums after a while, as well as interfere with good oral care \u2013 brushing, flossing, etc. Worse yet, severely autistic patients are often uncooperative at dental visits; they struggle to sit still and let dentists do their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given the points above, pay attention to your autistic loved ones\u2019 grins. Their teeth and gums often face more danger than you\u2019d initially think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common Dental Problems for Autistic Patients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on current research, autistic patients are at greater risk of many dental problems. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Early and late tooth decay<\/li><li>Periodontal (gum) disease<\/li><li>Teeth grinding<\/li><li>Tooth anomalies (i.e., wrong size, shape, etc.)<\/li><li>Accelerated or delayed eruption of teeth<\/li><li>Gingival overgrowth<\/li><li>Pits, lines, and other developmental defects in teeth<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Tips for Helping Your Loved One\u2019s Smile<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the process is tricky, it\u2019s possible to protect your autistic loved one\u2019s smile. Just make sure you do the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Simplify Oral Care <\/strong>\u2013 Those with autism are often overstimulated, so make their at-home oral care simple and calm. For instance, you could have them use an electric toothbrush, oral irrigator, or even a tooth timer. These items would make teeth-cleaning an easier task.<\/li><li><strong>Remember to Encourage<\/strong> \u2013 By rewarding your autistic peer for good behavior, you\u2019d discourage bad oral habits and promote better ones.<\/li><li><strong>Get a Great Dentist <\/strong>\u2013 To the extent possible, seek a dentist specializing in autistic patients. They\u2019ll help your loved one overcome any dental anxiety.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Your autistic loved ones deserve to have strong, healthy smiles. So, use the tricks above to honor them and their grins this Autism Awareness Day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/meet-the-dentist.html\">Dr. Christopher J. Cowell<\/a> is a dentist based in DeLand, FL, having earned his DMD from the University of Florida College of Dentistry. His 30-plus years in the field have made him an advanced expert in preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dental work, as well as emergency oral care. As a result, you can trust him (and his team) to help your smile thrive! Today, Dr. Cowell practices at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/\">his self-titled clinic<\/a> and is reachable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/contact-us.html\">on his website<\/a> and by phone at <strong>(386)-734-8585<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You may not have known, but April 2nd is a big deal in the special needs community. It happens to be Autism Awareness Day &#8211; a time to honor those on the autism spectrum and their needs. With that said, you should mark the occasion by helping autistic loved ones protect their smiles. Your local [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":410,"href":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408\/revisions\/410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cowelldental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}