Dentist Cleaning and Sealants

Dane's 2nd trip to the dentist went well. He needed a teeth cleaning and they added sealants to 4 of his molars. I hope he will never have to sit through cavity drilling again. The sealants should help prevent cavities at least in those areas. The last time he was at the dentist he had 3 cavities drilled.

The first thing the dental hygienist did was put sunglasses on him. Good thing because he's looking strait up at fluorescent lights that scramble his vision. The flickering of the lights could have put him into a sensory over-load and probably would have prompted him into a meltdown.

For the first 5 minutes or so he was doing as told. Something started to scare him or hurt his ears because they have those little screaming instruments inside his mouth. That had to have been hard and hurt his hearing. He started to have tears run down his face. I know he badly wanted to cup his ears but the dentist kept telling him to put his hands down.

The part I didn't like was how fast they tried to work with him. I know when I get my teeth cleaned it's like they can't wait to get me out of that chair and get the next paying patient in. Slow down already! My kid has autism and he's very sensitive. Sure, she kept saying "This doesn't hurt, it's only air." What does she know what hurts him and what doesn't?

The best thing was when it was over and he got his picture taken for the "no cavity club." He's the only kid in there with sunglasses on.

I had my 3 year old daughter in there with me to see what happens at the dentist. She liked that she got a sticker after it was over. Dane got to pick out a couple toys of his own. Nothing that would spin did they have so he picked out 2 bouncy balls.

When we got home he was excited that he got to put his pinwheels into the ground. He must have played and organized them for about an hour.


Tomorrow he has intensive therapy. It will last about 3 hours and my wife will have to take him alone. I will be at work and my father will have to watch my daughter. The therapists don't want his sister there as she will cause distraction.

Some days I have to take family medical leave from work to be at the therapy session when needed. Part of the therapy is family counseling for my wife and I. They recommended that for all parents involved with the therapy. I have no say if I want to or not.  The family counselor has given us very good advice as to how we need to address problems so far.

It would have been different if my daughter was born first and we would have had prior experience parenting.  Parenting an autistic child is a lot to learn and how to deal with how they react to their environment.  Once you get to know what sets them off the better prepared you become once your aware. 

the Dentist

When I went in for my routine check-ups at the dentist I would have my son try to sit and watch what the dentist would do to my mouth. He would get curious and disrupt the dentist by turning on and off his light. We had to give him a small toy plane with spinning propellers so he would sit still. It helped that his Grandpa had his visit on the same day and could learn to trust the dentist. My son has quite a special bond with my father.

The day came and we had his check-up. He did good sitting but was having trouble with the light blinding him. After the visit, he felt happy because he got to pick out a small toy. He picked out a rubber frog. Over last summer he developed a likeness for toads and frogs. The visit resulted in him having 3 cavities! I didn't know what to expect having the dentist drill my sons teeth.

Luckily I had to work the day he got his teeth fixed. I was afraid the dentist wouldn't be able to perform his fillings. My wife had to take him and make sure he was okay and make it through alright. I wasn't prepared to witness what would be if he had a panic attack.

My son did very well for his first cavities. From what my wife told me he sat and did what the dentist told him to do. He had his mouth open wide the whole time but he had tears streaming down his face. He was terrified! My son's autism includes sensitive hearing and a sensitive mouth. He has to be prepared to cup his ears when a toilet or public hand dryer go off. I could only imagine what he felt with that dentist drill going off inside his head. That had to be extremely loud for him.

I'm glad that having his cavities fixed didn't scare him from dentist visits. My last dental cleaning was last week and he wanted to come with. I didn't take him but I'm glad that he wasn't afraid to go with me. What a brave little boy.