Dental visit kit

A step-by-step dental story, a sheet for the dental team, and a home practice plan.

For: Parents, autistic adults, dental teams · Free to print, copy and share · No sign-up

How do I prepare an autistic child for the dentist?

Practise the parts at home first — chair, light, mirror, counting teeth — and tell the team what to change before they start. Most dental distress comes from the light, the noise, the taste and the reclining chair, and each of those can be practised or adjusted in advance.

Get the PDF See all printables

The PDF is built in your browser on the next screen — nothing is saved or emailed.

How to use it

  1. Ask for a short 'meet the room' visit with nothing done in it.
  2. Practise at home: lying back, opening wide, a mirror, a toothbrush, counting teeth.
  3. Agree a stop signal — a raised hand — and make sure the team honours it.
  4. Hand the dental team page over before the appointment begins.
  5. Ask for a tell-show-do approach: say it, show it, then do it.
  6. Finish on the practised, easy part so the memory of it ends well.

Things worth knowing

Want this made for your situation?

Nova can write the visit story in your child's own words and talk through what to ask the dental team for.

Prepare with Nova

Other free printables

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Sensory profile checklist

Work through each sense and mark what soothes, what overwhelms, and what's still unclear.

Social story template

A blank, first-person story frame for a new place, a change, or something that keeps going wrong.

This sheet is a practical support, not medical, legal, or diagnostic advice.