Frequently Asked Questions

  • Smiles on the Spectrum Inc. is a nonprofit initiative focused on making dental visits more predictable, accessible, and supportive for patients in need of a bridge between pre-visit anxiety and a calm reassurance that they’ll be well taken care of. We work to bridge this gap through spreading awareness, preparation tools, office training, and patient-centered resources.

  • Dental visits can involve bright lights, loud tools, unfamiliar rooms, strong tastes or smells, close physical contact, and unpredictable steps. For some patients, these factors can create anxiety or sensory overwhelm before treatment even begins.

  • We provide educational resources, staff training materials, virtual tour concepts, sensory-aware care strategies, and tools designed to help patients understand what to expect before a dental visit. Our goal is to make preparation easier for both families and dental teams.

  • DentCue is our developing pre-visit preparation. and familiarization tool. It is being designed to help patients review dental procedures step by step, understand common tools and sounds, and share helpful preferences with the dental office before an appointment.

  • Dental offices can participate by completing our training modules, learning practical sensory-aware accomodations, and working toward creating a more predictable visit experience for patients. Participating offices may eventually be listed as locations that have completed Smiles on the Spectrum training.

  • Our resources are designed for autistic patients, sensory-sensitive patients, children, anxious dental patients, caregivers, dental hygienists, dentists, office staff, and anyone interested in making oral healthcare more approachable and accessible.