Waiting for the Dentist

Here's Ryan waiting at the dentist. We've been taking him since he was three years old, twice each year. He's done well with it, never had an problems with sensory issues which was a total surprise to me. The adjustment was on the part of the dentist for his hearing aids. We'd forget about them then startle, "Oh, wait! His hearing aids!" The dentist would jump. But the thing is ... do you know what a cleaning tool sounds like in your mouth when it's amplified? Yeah, we didn't want to find out either.

As Ryan gets older it harder to regulate sweet snacks. He's a real cookie monster! I've decided that I'll stick fast to some rules.

• Brush in the morning and at bedtime with Soniccare toothbrush
• Eat at least three apples a week (nature's toothbrush)
• Drink milk with meals at home (he likes milk so that's easy)
• See the dentist twice each year
• Make the next dentist visit before we leave the current one.
• Floss, floss, floss (In our family gum issues are more a threat than teeth issues)

All in all it has gone great. He's twenty years old with no cavities. He's been able to get molars sealed as needed and has done well with the Soniccare toothbrush (which I highly recommend). It actually has a sensory stimulation benefit like surgical brushing. I suggest you get the timed version. It runs for two minutes but breaks for a beat every half minute so you can go to the next "quadrant" of the mouth. If you teach your child to brush in the same order each time they have no problems following that after they've got it.

Ryan needs to get his wisdom teeth cut out next year and I'm paying for that out of pocket. Either he goes in and gets each tooth cut out separately with Novocaine which is what MA pays for or I take him to a dental surgeon and get him put to sleep and all cut out at once. It's worth the $1500 to get it all done at once. Regular insurance pays for it that way, why does MA put people with disabilities through that?! By the time it's done it's the same amount of money to them?  But I digress ... dental preventative care is our theme here.

I think starting them young is the key. Maybe these suggestions won't work for everyone but maybe they'll work for someone.

Have a great Saturday,

Much love and joy,

Karen