Dental Care For Special Needs Kids In Broomfield, CO

Mini Miners treats special needs kids in Broomfield from our pediatric dental office in Erie, between I-25 and Highway 287. All 3 sedation levels happen in that office. Every treatment room is plumbed for nitrous oxide, X-rays are taken right in the treatment room while your child keeps watching a movie, and a first visit can be a happy visit with no treatment at all.

Dr. Alison Grover, a board-certified pediatric dentist, co-founded Mini Miners in 2017 and has extensive personal experience with special needs children.

The Five-Question Call Sheet

A website can't show you how an office handles a child who won't sit in the chair. A 10-minute phone call can. These are the 5 questions we would want any special needs dentist to answer, and parents of special needs kids in Broomfield can put them to us first. Each section opens with our answer.

Question 1: Can Every Level of Care Happen in One Office?

Yes. All 3 sedation levels happen in our Erie office.

Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, is the mildest level. Every treatment room is plumbed for it, so it is ready when your child needs it.
Moderate oral sedation is a liquid combination of 2 medications, Versed and hydroxyzine.
General anesthesia is given in our office by an anesthesiologist from Mile High Anesthesia or Rocky Mountain Dental Anesthesia. The anesthesiologist checks your child's vitals before anything is given and keeps monitoring them throughout the procedure. Before a sedation visit, we give you fasting instructions when they apply.

Sedation is not the only route around the drill. The Hall crown method treats a decayed baby tooth without drilling or numbing, which can take sedation off the table for that tooth. Our dental restorations page explains when a Hall crown fits.

Question 2: What If My Child Can't Lie Back or Handle the Room?

We change the room so your child doesn't have to change. Exam chairs can be positioned for comfort, positioning stays flexible during treatment, and seating options go beyond the traditional dental chair.

The rest of the setup follows the same rule.

X-rays are taken right in the treatment room with a camera-like X-ray machine, so your child keeps watching their movie. They are low-radiation digital X-rays, taken only as needed.
Your child picks from over 70 movies on the ceiling-mounted TV, plus their toothpaste flavor and their fluoride flavor.
Rooms are private, not an open bay. Lights adjust, sunglasses are on hand, and your child controls the sound and music.
Instruments are kid-sized.
Fluoride varnish is brushed on in about 30 seconds, and your child can eat and drink right away. Details are on our fluoride treatment page.
We follow a No Scary Words policy, so words like shot, hurt, pain, needle and bleeding stay out of the room.
Comfort items from home are welcome.

Changes like these were tested together in a 2023 randomized crossover trial published in JAMA Network Open. 162 autistic children were randomized, and 138 completed both dental cleaning visits: one in a standard room and one in a room with dimmed lights, calming sounds and a weighted wrap.

In the adapted room, skin conductance, a body measure of stress, fell by an average of 1.22 microsiemens. Crying and whimpering episodes dropped from 9.83 to 6.02, and their total length from 44 seconds to 20. The drop in distress behavior was larger for children aged 6 to 9 and for children with lower IQ or lower expressive communication. One result cuts the other way: the trial's cooperation ratings and the children's own pain reports showed no statistically significant change.

Question 3: Will You Ever Hold My Child Down?

Only when treatment can't safely happen any other way, and only with your consent first. Our staff is trained in protective stabilization, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's term for what some offices still call restraint.

The AAPD best practice on protective stabilization, last revised in 2024, gives parents 4 protections worth knowing by heart:

Informed consent has to be documented in your child's record before stabilization is used.
A parent can ask to stop it at any time if they believe it is harming their child, and the dentist brings the procedure to a safe close before ending.
It is not to be used for the practitioner's convenience.
It is not to be used for a child whose history of trauma or abuse would raise the psychological risk of being held.

If you say no, it isn't used. We never push a child past their comfort level. The next step is a shorter segment of treatment, a break, or one of the 3 sedation levels.

Question 4: What Happens at the First Visit?

It can be a happy visit with no treatment at all. Your child tours the office and meets the staff at their own pace, so the space is familiar before anyone looks in their mouth. After that, we introduce dental equipment and procedures gradually.

Before treatment starts, we ask about 5 things: sensory sensitivities, how your child communicates, behavioral triggers, past experiences with doctors and dentists, and what already works at home. The AAPD's 2026 best practice for patients with special health care needs asks offices to screen at the time of scheduling, decide the appointment length, pick the best time of day and talk through introductory visits. We do all 4.

A routine cleaning visit runs 30 minutes to an hour. For children with special needs, we schedule additional time and follow your child's pace, breaking procedures into manageable steps. You can stay in the treatment room for the whole visit. What a routine cleaning looks like once your child is ready is on our teeth cleaning and exams page.

Question 5: Who Is the Dentist, and What Training Do They Have?

Dr. Alison Grover co-founded Mini Miners in 2017. She is a board-certified Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, which means she passed the board's written and oral exams.

DDS and a general practice residency at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine
Pediatric dental residency and certificate at UCLA
Undergraduate studies at Wellesley College

She has extensive personal experience with special needs children. Our staff receives ongoing training in behavior management techniques that work for children with autism, ADHD, anxiety disorders and developmental delays. More about the practice is on our Broomfield pediatric dentist page.

When We're Not the Right Fit

A few things should be clear before you book.

We're in Erie, not Broomfield. For special needs kids in Broomfield, the route is Highway 287 or the Northwest Parkway to Erie Commons.
We're closed weekends, and Friday hours end at 3:30 PM.
We're a pediatric practice, so plan the move to an adult dentist ahead of time. The AAPD's 2026 guidance ties a planned handoff to continuity of care and better long-term outcomes.
Some medical conditions are safest to treat in a hospital. The same AAPD guidance asks dentists to identify conditions best treated in a tertiary care setting. We coordinate with your child's medical providers when needed.

Questions About Dental Care for Special Needs Kids in Broomfield

Does my child count as having special health care needs?

The AAPD's 2026 best practice defines special health care needs as "any physical, developmental, mental, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, or emotional difference or limiting condition that requires medical management, health care intervention, and/or use of specialized services or programs." By the federal survey's own definition, 27.1% of Colorado children have special health care needs, according to America's Health Rankings' analysis of 2023-2024 National Survey of Children's Health data. If you're unsure, tell us on the call what is hard for your child.

Can I stay with my child during treatment?

Yes, at every visit except general anesthesia. Parents are always welcome in our treatment rooms, and most children with special needs do better with a parent beside them. Under general anesthesia, parents wait in the waiting room once their child is asleep.

My child is non-verbal. How will you communicate?

We ask you first how your child communicates, then match it. We watch non-verbal cues closely and work with picture cards, a communication device or your interpretation, whichever your child uses.

Can you treat a child with complex medical conditions?

Yes. We coordinate with your child's medical providers when needed and take precautions based on their specific health needs. Our team works from an understanding of common medications and how they affect the teeth. Send us the conditions, medications and specialists before the first visit.

What if my child has a dental emergency?

Existing patients call (303) 500-3202 and press 2 to reach our on-call pediatric dentist, including after hours. We always work to see emergency patients the same business day. Our emergency dental page covers what to do first.

What insurance do you accept?

We accept multiple insurance types, and our insurance coordinator can help you check what is covered. If your child medically needs more frequent visits or extra services, we work with your insurance company to document that need. We also offer the Mini Miners Dental Membership.

How do I help my child with brushing at home?

We teach realistic home care techniques and recommend tools and products that fit your child. Everyday prevention is covered on our children's preventative care page.

Book a Happy Visit

Tell us the one thing that matters most for your child, and we'll build the first visit around it. Booking dental care for special needs kids in Broomfield takes one call or the short form below.