Dentists and Autism

When I was young any mention of a visit to the dentist would create a shiver of horror and fear right across the school yard.

In fact, in my case, there was not a whole bunch to worry about in dental terms.  But for a child with autism this may not be the case.

Having talked to  a lot of parents of children with autism I believe dental care may be more than a bit of a worry.  Firstly there is the task of brushing teeth and then there is the sensory overload of a tip to the dentist itself.  The aim of this blog is to give parents and people with ASD the opportunity to share their tips for great dental hygiene.

In the case of our seven year old we have eventually found some solutions but, I have to say, with plenty of hiccups along the way.

In fact cleaning teeth is actually helped by his ASD.  One of his sensory “pressure points” is at the back of his mouth along the gums.  So in fact the act of his cleaning his teeth is not a problem at all.  He rather enjoys it.  What did prove to be a problem was getting him to remember to clean his teeth.    What my wife has done is so simple I have to describe it as an act of genius.  Each evening she and John play a game just before going to bed.  The game?  Cleaning your teeth.  In fact he now reminds us it is time to play “cleaning your teeth”.  There is a song to go with it but I’ll not share it for reasons of aesthetics.

Visits to the dentist on the other hand have proved harder.  But we got lucky.  In a conversation with the local Early Years Centre (who provided a lot of the initial support including PECS training) it was mentioned that one of the local NHS Health Centres has a specialist autism clinic once a week. (I should mention that for reasons totally unknown to me they do not publicise the clinic.)

Actually the practice is not that different from other dentists.  Where it does vary is that a lot of the children’s posters are removed from the walls.  Also the staff have been training in behaviours associated with ASD and know how to help in case of meltdown or over stimulation.  But their real trick is to give plenty of time for John to get used to the surgery.  In fact on his first visit they did not look at his teeth.  Rather they let him play with the safer instruments and go up and down on the chair.  By the end of 30 minutes he was very keen to come back and play some more.

Since then he has had to have a couple of interventions.  Both have gone without issue as he has a social story to look at and the procedure is clearly explained in bit sized chunks and carried out at a speed that meets his need.

And the overall outcome?  His latest ambition is to become a dentist.  Not just a dentist but the first dentist on Mars!

So my real advice to other parents looking for a suitable dentist.  Is google for autism specialist.  They do exist and they are very good.

But over to you.  It would be great if you could use the comments box below to share how you deal with your child’s dental health.  Perhaps you might like to consider some of the following questions:-

a)      Do you have any concerns and challenges with your children dental health and visits to a dentist?

b)      How did you establish a teeth cleaning routine?

c)       What is a typical trip to a dentist like for you?

d)      Do you use a specialist dentist?

e)      What advice would you give to another parent of a child with autism who has similar issues?

I really look forward to reading your responses.

Many thanks in advance.