Dentists

[mum22boys]

Just wondered how you all cope with getting your child to see the dentist. My son. M will visit but refuses to get in the chair and then I eventually persuade him to get on my lap but of course he won't open his mouth. He won't even look at or speak to the dentist.

As he's not yet been diagnosed I haven't mentioned the AS possiblity to them but am wondering if I should. At the moment as he's only five it is only check ups so not too bad but what will happen if he ever has toothache and needs a filling?

I can't see I would ever get him to open his mouth let alone have the dentist look at his teeth.

I know i'm thinking about something that hasn't happened but me and my husband were talking about it the other day and i would be grateful if any of you had advice.

[UltraMum]

Mention the AS possibility - definitely.

 

Can you do a short social story about going to the dentist?

 

Concentrate on getting to the dentist and then in the chair and then the chair going up - lots of small steps ...

 

See whether you can be referred to the community dentist - they will often take the time to acclimatise children...

 

My son hates the noise and the bright light so he lies in the chair with ear defenders and dark glasses ...

 

Just a couple of ideas...

[nellie]

The following are previous topics about dentists and dental treatment, hopefully you will find some useful information there.

 

Problems with everyday activities

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.ph...t=0entry36525

 

DENTAL TREATMENT

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.ph...t=0entry17608

[nightingales]

Been there and got the T-shirt!

 

here's what seems to have worked for us:

 

Keep going often. Book his appointment and yours separately if you can, so visits are more frequent. Yes, I'd tell the dentist that he has 'suspected' AS, or ASD, whichever -- and remind them before each visit. Ours were very helpful once we did that, giving us appointments at very quiet times, seeing him without a wait, and not coming out with all that 'now then, be sensible, a big boy like you' rubbish that we'd had previously. Use shameless bribery for afterwards -- where's the nearest toy shop, newsagents, post office...?!

 

We've progressed gradually through watching someone else, to getting in the chair, having teeth 'looked at' (no contact!), then counted, and finally (sort of) polished. He's now 9 and could really do with a brace on his second teeth, but I think we'll have to creep up on that one veeeerrrry slowly

 

One good thing: the horrible thought of having to go more often does encourage him to scrub his own teeth pretty vigorously!

Good luck.

[Flora]

This probably isn't a very helpful post, but both my ASD kids have never had any problems at the dentist. I was lucky in that my dentist used a solution to etch the teeth instead of the drill for fillings (I think the drill would have terrified them). But other than that concession there has been no problems, which is just as well because they both have real problems cleaning their teeth and consequently have had fillings regularly. I made sure on registering with a new dentist that the dentis was fully aware of their ASD.

 

Lauren

[lynyona]

appointments are always a big problem for kieran and dentists especially as in a previous post.He had an appointment at the opticians today and he got up and wouldnt get washed to go he sat there pretending to be asleep in the endi had to go the the opticians to explain why it was that he wasnt coming to his appointment they where quite understanding,im sure kierans thing is more agrophobic than any fear of the placeshe is going to as he rarely ventures out only on his terms and as he wears glasses he knows what they are going to be doing when he gets there soi cannot understand his problem.The receptionist asked if i wanted to make another one for tomorrow howmany can i book and him not turn up so my cunning plan is to book it and get him out there and just happen to be passing you watch it backfire lol. lynn

[DaisyProudfoot]

I've never had a problem with Martin and the dentist (haircuts - now that's a different story) but he just sits in the chair going "ow, ow, ow" in a voice that's so monotone (kind of like Eeyore would do) you can't help but laugh so he sees the trip as quite amusing really.

 

The dentist gets worn out because every time he picks up a different instrument Martin's like: "what is that one for?" and won't be satisfied until he's had the full explanation.

 

Perhaps the dentist explaining the treatment as he goes along may help your son to cope better.

 

Actually it's me who hates the dentist's chair

 

Daisy

[mandyque]

My dd has to go into hospital to get dental work done under general anaesthetic, she won't sit long enough to even look at her teeth and won't open her mouth. Horrible horrible experience

[mel]

Most of the time steven wouldnt even open his mouth. last time i took him i thought we were doing really well. he climbed into the chair, smiled at the dentist and opened as wide as he could. i was just about to heave a sigh of relief, and he bit the dentist. he thought he wouldnt have to go again if he did that. I have been doing the social stories. he seems a little keener on going now. time will tell.

[Emum]

This is really topical for us as E had an accident on Saturday and broke one of her teeth so needed emergency treatment and today had an extraction under GA. We have therefore seen 4 different dentists in 6 days, with no pre-planning!

 

What worked - a gentle dentist with a good bedside manner, and plenty of time to spend on her. 2 out of the 4 who saw her let her sit on my knee (harder if your son is a bit older perhaps), and the best didn't even try to force the issue just tickled her until she opened her mouth to laugh, then did a really quick examination, wearing some very funky purple latex gloves which amused her. We also used some pictures to explain to her in advance what was going to happen. We couldn't find any on the internet at short notice but managed to cobble something suitable from a clipart cd rom.

 

What didn't work - the very young dentist who panicked at the mention of autism, and examined her from a distance of about 3 feet - pronouncing her fine when she clearly wasn't. Also the not very understanding dentist, who had her held down by a dental nurse and tried to force her to open her mouth, then gave up without giving me a chance to calm her down and approach things more sensibly.

 

My advice therefore would be to find a dentist who deals with children on a regular basis and has a good bedside manner (you should be able to guage this by talking to him in advance or worst case scenario his assistant), explain to them about your son's particular issues, ask them to set aside sufficient time to see him - if necessary book a double appointment - and approach things softly softly. If you don't need urgent treatment, then the idea of a number of appointments to familiarise him is a good one. We would also have got E a decent picture book explaining what was likely to happen to her if we had had the luxury of time.

 

The community dental team is also a good source, as they have experience of dealing with special needs. E had been seen by them in the past and they were excellent but unfortunately in our area the community dentist left and wasn't replaced so it had been a while since her last check up

[Suze]

Hi my son attended a special clinic for nervous patients when he had treatment done. The nurses and dentist were brill , he had several visits prior to his fillings and teeth being taken out. He had gas and air and injections and they were really good with him. Most health authorities have these clinics so I,d ask about them next time. We had a particularly bad day today, my son had an accident and chipped his tooth, needing emergency treatment. It has been a nightmare, he was screaming and crying before she even touched him, it took an hour and he,s still pale now, , alot of kids on the spectrum have problems like this your not alone.

[lisann]

Doesn't help but Char loves to go and see the dentist he is always friendly and gives char some rugrat stickers when hes looked.He also let Char have one of thoose little mirrors to have in his hand as a comfort messure.

 

Lisa

[Teaorcoffee]

I remember getting my teeth out by a regular dentist. It was awful. When I went back there again I was too scared to go the chair. My mum was unhappy with this The dentist recommended we go to a big dentist in Edinburgh, where got an anisthetic. When I woke up I was crying and bleeding but my mum got me a Super Mario pencil case and some sweeties so it wasn't all bad .

[kirstie]

Hey Tea or Coffee i'm in edinburgh, didn't realise you were a fellow scot!

My son goes to a clinic for children with "special needs ". I didn't ever think he would sit in the chair let alone open his mouth. I remember when he was very little i would take him along to the six month check where we would all be seen and the minuete i sat in the chair he would go berserk! I was feeling the same way inside as i really hate the dentist but for the sake of my kids i've always put a smile on my face and made out it was totally fine :sick:Eventually hewas referreed by his consultant and with the help of a social story he sat and let her have alook and count his teeth only but i was thrilled! They tried for an x-ray but that was a step too far for him....! I do worry though what will happen if he needs work done as he is very needle phobic. I think he might have to go into hospital for the day.