Special Needs Dentistry in Wichita & Derby, KS
There’s no one-size-fits-all in pediatric dentistry. What calms one child overwhelms another. For families raising a child with special health care needs, that gap between “standard visit” and “a visit that actually works” can be the difference between routine care and years of avoided appointments.
At ICTeeth, we build the visit around your child, not the other way around. Our pediatric dentists and team are trained to care for children with developmental, physical, sensory, behavioral, and medical differences, and we’ve spent years learning what makes a dental office feel safe instead of scary. If your child has been turned away elsewhere, had a hard time in a dental chair before, or has never been seen at all, we’d like to be the practice that gets it right.
Why Choose Us
- We have six talented pediatric dentists
- We have an amazing team who love small faces and big smiles
- Parents love the fun and positive experience for their kids
What Is a Special Needs Pediatric Dentist?
A special needs pediatric dentist provides oral health care for children whose physical, developmental, mental, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, or emotional differences require additional accommodation, medical coordination, or specialized services.
Every pediatric dentist completes two to three years of residency training beyond dental school, focused specifically on children, including those with disabilities and complex medical histories. Several of our dentists are also board certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, an additional credential earned through qualifying written and clinical examinations.
What that training means in practice: we’ve seen your child’s situation before. We know how to read a child who can’t tell us what’s wrong, how to pace an exam that has to happen in three-minute pieces, and when to stop and try again next month rather than force something that will set your family back a year.
We also treat you as part of the care team. You know your child’s triggers, their tells, and their routines better than any clinician ever will. We ask, and we listen.
Dr. Stephen P. Moore
Dr. David J. Brown
Dr. Trey K. Anderson
Dr. Amrita Khemka
Dr. Kristal Raya
Dr. Kelsey Martinez
Children and Conditions We Care For
We provide dental care for children with a wide range of special health care needs, including:
- Autism spectrum disorder
- ADHD
- Sensory processing differences
- Down syndrome
- Cerebral palsy
- Intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Seizure disorders and epilepsy
- Genetic and chromosomal conditions
- Congenital heart conditions and other medically complex histories
- Vision and hearing impairments
- Limited mobility, including children who use wheelchairs
- Feeding tubes and swallowing difficulties
- Severe dental anxiety or previous traumatic dental experiences
Don’t see your child’s diagnosis? Call us. The list isn’t exhaustive, and the accommodations matter more than the label.
How We Adapt the Visit
Accommodation isn’t a philosophy here, it’s logistics. Some of what we can do:
- Pre-visit walkthrough. Come see the office, meet the team, sit in the chair, go home. No treatment, no pressure.
- Scheduling that fits your routine. First appointment of the morning, quieter times of day, or whatever slot works with your child’s rhythms and medication schedule.
- Reduced-stimulation appointments. Dimmed lights, minimal noise, fewer people in the room.
- Comfort items welcome. Bring headphones, sunglasses, a weighted blanket, a favorite toy, a tablet. Whatever works at home works here.
- Tell-show-do. We explain and demonstrate every instrument before it’s used, in language your child understands.
- Desensitization visits. We can build up to a full exam across several short appointments instead of forcing everything into one.
- Parents stay. You’re in the room if that’s what helps.
- Wheelchair-accessible operatories and, when appropriate, treatment performed without a transfer.
- Coordination with your child’s other providers when medical history affects dental treatment.
- Sedation options when a child truly can’t tolerate care awake.
Before your first visit, tell us what we need to know: what sets your child off, what settles them, what’s gone wrong at other offices. We’d rather plan around it than discover it in the chair.
Preventive Care Comes First
For children with special health care needs, prevention isn’t just preferable. It’s the difference between a cleaning and an operating room.
Kids in this population face elevated risk from several directions at once. Medications can cause dry mouth or contain sugar. Dietary restrictions and texture aversions can narrow food choices toward cariogenic options. Motor limitations, sensory aversion to toothbrushing, and gag reflexes can make daily hygiene genuinely difficult. And untreated dental disease carries outsized consequences: pain a nonverbal child can’t report, infection, difficulty eating, sleep disruption, and behavioral changes that get misattributed to something else.
Our preventive program includes regular cleanings and exams, dental sealants, fluoride treatments, and, critically, hands-on coaching for caregivers. We’ll work through positioning, adaptive toothbrush options, and desensitization strategies you can use at home, because most of the work happens in your bathroom, not our office.
Restorative Treatment When It’s Needed
When decay or damage has already happened, restorative care protects your child’s health and comfort. Treating a cavity early prevents pain and infection, preserves the ability to chew and speak clearly, keeps teeth in position for proper development, and, for kids who are already navigating a lot, protects a smile they feel good about.
We stage treatment to your child’s tolerance. That may mean handling one quadrant per visit, or consolidating everything into a single sedated appointment. We’ll walk you through the tradeoffs and decide together.
Sedation and Anesthesia Options
Some children can’t be safely or humanely treated awake, and there’s no failure in that. We offer a range of sedation dentistry options, from nitrous oxide through IV sedation and general anesthesia.
Safety governs every one of those decisions. Before any sedation, we review your child’s complete medical history, current medications, airway considerations, and prior sedation experiences, and we coordinate with their physician or specialists when needed. We’ll explain what we’re recommending, why, what the alternatives are, and what recovery looks like.
Laurilei M.
What to Expect at Your First Visit
- Before you arrive. Complete your new patient paperwork at home, and tell us about your child’s diagnoses, medications, sensory triggers, communication style, and past dental experiences.
- Arrival. If waiting rooms are hard, tell us. We can take you straight back, or have you wait in the car until we’re ready.
- Getting acquainted. We meet your child at their pace. Sometimes that’s a full exam. Sometimes it’s a tour and a toothbrush. Both count as a successful first visit.
- The exam. Tell-show-do, at whatever speed works. X-rays only if your child can tolerate them and only when clinically necessary.
- The plan. We talk through findings with you, lay out options, and set the pace for what comes next.
More on your child’s first visit.
Insurance, KanCare & Payment
We accept most major dental insurance plans, including KanCare (Kansas Medicaid). KanCare covers dental services for eligible children under 21, including preventive care, restorative treatment, and, when medically necessary, sedation and hospital dentistry.
If your child’s care requires sedation or treatment under general anesthesia, our team will help you understand what’s covered and handle prior authorization where it’s required.
For the full list of plans we accept, see our finances and insurance page, or call 316-681-3228 and we’ll verify your benefits.
Why Families Choose ICTeeth
- Six pediatric dentists, several board certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry
- A team that genuinely likes this work: patient with sensory needs, unhurried, and unbothered by a hard day
- Three locations across NE Wichita, West Wichita, and Derby
- The full range of care in one practice, from preventive visits through general anesthesia
- We accept KanCare along with most major dental insurance plans
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should a child with special needs first see a dentist?
The same age as any child: by their first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth erupting, whichever comes first. Earlier is better for kids with special health care needs, because establishing familiarity before treatment is ever necessary makes every later visit easier.
My child has been refused treatment at another dental office. Will you see them?
Yes. This is a large part of what we do, and it’s a common reason families find us. Tell us what happened at the previous office so we can plan around it.
Do you treat adults with special needs?
ICTeeth is a pediatric practice. We can often continue care for existing patients past age 18 depending on circumstances, and we’re happy to help families find an appropriate provider for adult patients. Call us to discuss.
Can we visit the office before scheduling an appointment?
Absolutely. A no-treatment visit (walk through the office, meet the team, sit in the chair, leave) is one of the most useful things you can do for an anxious or sensory-sensitive child. Call to arrange one.
Will my child need sedation?
Not necessarily. Many children with special health care needs do fine with behavioral support and accommodation alone. We recommend sedation only when a child can’t safely or comfortably receive necessary treatment awake, and we’ll always discuss it with you first.
Does KanCare cover my child’s dental care?
Yes. KanCare covers dental services for eligible children under 21, including preventive and restorative treatment, and medically necessary sedation or hospital dentistry. ICTeeth accepts KanCare. Call 316-681-3228 and we’ll verify your specific benefits.
What should I tell you before the first appointment?
Diagnoses, current medications, how your child communicates, what sensory input they find difficult, what calms them down, and anything that’s gone badly at a dental or medical office before. More detail is better.
Can I stay with my child during treatment?
Yes. If your presence helps your child, you’re in the room.
Schedule a Visit
Whether your child has never seen a dentist or has had years of difficult appointments, we’d like to help. Call 316-681-3228 or request an appointment online at any of our three locations in Wichita and Derby.
