Following are a few sample questions we have selected - you can use the category listing to the left to find more questions and answers relating to your areas of interest. Click on a question to see the answer.

My daughter has quadraplegia and is tube-fed. Her molars are coming in very slowly and the gums around them are very inflamed. What can we do?

Inflammation of the gums is commonly seen with eruption of the 3rd molars but this can be prolonged in children who are not chewing and stimulating the gums to allow for breakdown of the gums/gingiva. This inflammation can sometimes lead to infection of the gums and around the teeth, but this can be treated either by having a dentist flush the bacteria out by irrigation or sometimes pushing/cutting the gums back. Please remember that this is a general response to your question and reflects a commonly occuring condition which may or may not be applicable to your child. As always, we recommend that you discuss this further with your dentist or another dentist who has special expertise in caring for children and young adults with developmental disabilities.