At Masterpiece Smiles in Oklahoma City, we serve patients of all ages with physical, developmental, cognitive, sensory, behavioral, and emotional special needs. The doctors at Masterpiece Smiles who provide IV sedation are hospital-residency trained and IV sedation certified, which means we can provide care that other practices turn away. Whether your family member is six or sixty, autistic or living with dementia, deeply anxious or simply needs a quieter room, we’ve built our practice around making dental visits possible for everyone.

Who We Serve

Special needs dental care covers a wide range of patients, and the right approach depends on the specific person, not the diagnosis. At Masterpiece Smiles, we regularly treat patients with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, intellectual and developmental disabilities, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, traumatic brain injury, severe anxiety disorders, sensory processing disorders, and behavioral or emotional differences. We also serve patients with mobility limitations, including wheelchair users, and patients who simply need more time and quieter surroundings than a typical dental visit allows.

Importantly, we treat both children and adults. Most special needs dental practices in Oklahoma City are pediatric-only, which leaves families searching for a new provider once a child becomes an adult. We’re built differently. Your family member can stay with our practice their whole life.

How Special Needs Dental Care Differs at Masterpiece Smiles

What makes special needs dental care different at Masterpiece Smiles isn’t a single accommodation. It’s a coordinated set of adjustments we make routinely.

1. Appointment Time

A standard dental visit is built around throughput. Our special needs appointments are scheduled with enough time for the patient to acclimate, take breaks, and proceed at their own pace.

2. Sensory Environment

Dental offices are designed for efficiency, which often means bright overhead lights, hard surfaces that amplify sound, and the constant background hum of suction and air handlers. For a patient with sensory processing differences, this is overwhelming. We adjust lighting, offer headphones with the patient’s preferred music, and use weighted blankets when they help.

3. Patient-Paced Treatment

We don’t begin a procedure until the patient is ready, and we stop the moment the patient signals they need a break. Hand signals work well for patients who can’t or don’t want to communicate verbally.

4. Caregiver Stays in the Room

The caregiver knows the patient’s specific signals and triggers better than we do, and their presence is calming. The caregiver stays in the room for the entire visit.

5. Sedation When Needed

Sedation is available when the other accommodations aren’t enough. For some patients, sedation is the only way to provide safe, complete care. We have all three sedation tiers in-house, and the next section walks through them. For patients whose anxiety is rooted in the drill itself, our Solea laser can sometimes provide treatment without sedation entirely. All three sedation tiers in-house Solea laser

Sedation Options for Special Needs Patients

Masterpiece Smiles offers three sedation tiers, and the right one depends on the patient and the procedure. Our founder, Dr. Robert Baumann, was among the first dentists in Oklahoma City to offer in-office IV sedation. The doctors at the practice who provide IV sedation are hospital-residency trained and IV sedation certified.

Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas)

Nitrous oxide, often called laughing gas, is a light inhaled sedative that takes effect within minutes and wears off as quickly. It’s well-suited for mild anxiety, simple procedures, and most children. The patient stays awake and aware throughout the visit but feels calm and disconnected from any discomfort.

Oral Sedation

Oral sedation is a step deeper. The patient takes a prescribed medication before the appointment and arrives at the office already relaxed. Oral sedation produces a foggy, sleepy state that lasts several hours. Patients can respond to instructions but typically remember very little of the appointment afterward.

IV Sedation (Twilight Sedation)

IV sedation is the deepest option we offer. A medication is delivered intravenously throughout the procedure, producing what’s sometimes called a twilight state. The patient remains conscious but deeply relaxed. Vital signs are monitored continuously. This is the option that allows us to provide care for adults with severe behavioral barriers, patients with profound dental phobia, and patients who need multiple complex procedures completed in one visit.

A pre-visit consultation determines which tier fits the specific patient, their medical history, and the procedures planned. Caregivers are part of that conversation from the start.

What to Expect at Your First Visit

Caregivers searching for a special needs dentist often want to mentally rehearse the visit before they book. Here’s how we typically structure a first visit at Masterpiece Smiles.

The process begins with a phone consultation before the appointment. We talk through the patient’s specific needs: sensory preferences, communication style, any history of dental trauma, medications, sedation requirements. There’s no exam at this stage, just a conversation. Many caregivers tell us this call alone makes a difference, because we’re listening to the patient’s specific situation before they ever walk into the office.

On the day of the visit, we adjust arrival logistics when needed. Some patients do better entering through a side door rather than the main waiting room. Some need to remain in the car until the operatory is ready, and we call or text when it’s time. We’re flexible.

Inside the operatory, we introduce the patient to the room and the tools at their own pace. The chair, the light, the suction, all of it. Sedation, when planned, begins before the exam itself. The exam proceeds with the caregiver beside the patient.

After the exam, we write the treatment plan with the caregiver. We talk through what’s medically necessary, what’s optional, what’s urgent, and what can wait. Aftercare instructions are adapted to the patient’s cognitive level, and we always send written follow-up so caregivers have a reference at home.

Insurance, Cost, and Logistics

We accept most major dental insurance plans. IV sedation coverage varies by plan, and our front desk verifies coverage and cost before the visit so there are no surprises. CareCredit and Cherry financing options are available for procedures that aren’t fully covered. CareCredit financing.

Practical access matters as much as clinical care. Our office is wheelchair accessible, and we offer Saturday appointments to accommodate caregivers who can’t easily take time off during the work week. Dr. Carmen Martinez provides care in Spanish for Spanish-speaking families.

Why Families Choose Masterpiece Smiles

Masterpiece Smiles has served Oklahoma City for years, beginning with Dr. Robert Baumann’s early adoption of in-office IV sedation in Oklahoma City. The current doctors at the practice continue that work. We carry consistently strong patient reviews, and the reviews we’re most proud of are the ones from caregivers who tell us their family member is no longer afraid of the dentist.

Masterpiece Smiles is uniquely equipped to serve adults and children with special needs in one location, with sedation available at every tier, and with the time and patience to do the work properly.