AutismParents.NET!

As kids, most of us were not too fond of going to the dentist.  Often a scary ordeal even for “neurotypical” children, it can be downright terrifying to kids with autism.  For one thing, they are asked to sit still for an extended period of time while a stranger poke, picks, and scrapes around in their mouth with various instruments.  The odds are very high that the first few trips to the dentist will be less than successful.

In our case, we didn’t have much luck with the “go slow” and acclimate the child to the dentist office method, even though we tried it several times.  When mommy or daddy had dentist appointments, our dentist was willing for our daughter to come and get used to the environment (i.e. - for free). We had some success taking the Donkey (from Shrek) doll and having his teeth looked at first. The novelty of this wore off pretty quickly, but the hygienist was able to look around some. In the end, however, Donkey had a more successful dental exam than our child.

Sitting in the chair was no problem as long as she got to play with the instruments and enjoy the chair going up and down.  The problems start when the hygienist started poking around in her mouth.  This just was not going to happen in our case right now and since we were concerned that our daughter might have a cavity (she didn’t), we resorted to the good old fall back … drug the kid and hope for the best.  Thanks to Mr. Ativan, we were finally able to get a good cleaning, polishing and x-ray.

If you don’t have a pressing issue and your dentist is willing to work with you, it’s worth it to try the non-drug approach.  Remember, we are talking baby steps here and if your kid sits in the chair the first time, you should consider this a success.  Here are some tips for you to try.

A pediatric dentist usually has the most experience with children with developmental delays.

Bring your child’s favorite DVD to his dental visit.

Bring some of your child’s favorite toys to medical and dental exams.

Have your child help the dentist count his teeth.

The first time your child has a dental cleaning, ask your dentist about giving him a mild sedative until he gets used to the routine.

Stay in the treatment room to help the dentist by keeping your child’s hands away from the dentist and the instruments in your child’s mouth.

Give the dentist an opportunity to talk to your child; she may be more cooperative with a friendly dentist.

Check if insurance will cover your child’s dental surgery in the hospital under general anesthesia; insurance will usually pay if the dentist submits a letter of medical necessity.

_{*Tips from “The Child with Autism Series” by Kathy Labosh}

Related:

• Question: Dentists and Autism
• Autism Society of America: Tips of the Day: Dentist Visits
• Autism and Dental Anesthesia
• Dental management of the autistic child. First dental visit
• Autism And The Necessity of Dental Hygiene
• Autism and Dentistry: Dental Challenges for Families and Treating …
• Autism and Dental Anesthesia
• My Aspergers Child: Dentist Tips
• Toxic Dentistry: How Fillings and Braces Can Harm Your Health …
• Oral Health for Autistic Patients: Resources « Bibby Library News …
• Autism Goes to the Dentist « Autism Watch
• Dentist Adapts ABA Therapy to Treat Children with Austim

Filed under: Family, Parent Tips