Moms to Sensory Kids: Does the Going to the Dentist Ever Get Better?

I used to work in early intervention. We had a scrub brushing technique that helped with SPD. Some pediatric occupational therapists are trained in it. Anyone can do it once they are shown how. That may help.

My almost 4-year-old sensory kiddo just visited the third time, and yet again we left without him even letting the hygenist "tickle his hand" with the tooth-tickler. He DID open his mouth this time for the ped dentist to visually count his teeth, and we set another "field trip" date for October. Our ped dentist DOES offer sedation or restraints (parents choice), and if we get to age 5 without kiddo getting comfortable enough for at least a light cleaning, I'll opt for sedation.

Does your child watch "Caillou" on the Sprout channel? Caillou has a little video of being nervous about the dentist, and then going and having an enjoyable experience. My kiddo has been asking to watch it. I'm hoping that a number of viewings between now and the next visit will get us a little farther down the road.

We just went for a cleaning and he did well. He is having two teeth filled on the first....Which I am nervous as all hell.

He is sensitive to new things...things he doesnt understand and things that scare him....So, all these things will be something he faces on the first....

No real answer but hang in there!! We are out there with you....Sensory kiddo's are so hard......but yet so full of life!

The first years of trips were awesome. They had never had such a young child sit and let them clean their teeth before.

The last trip my hubby got them to put the X-Ray (lead) apron on our little guys' lap. It helped so much, he was like his old self, before the sensory stuff. It was like a light bulb was turned off and on when they put it on his lap.

My sisters son is 8, had or has SPD. He still freaks at the dentist. The dentist is so patient and tolerant with him. Guess my only advice would be to make sure you have a dentist that can handle your situation.

Don't worry it does get better at least with my kiddo who has aspergers and has sensory issues. When he was three he would scream but we had great nurses and dentist. In a private dental room that my dentist had for appointments with kids who have any issues she had me lay on the reclining chair with my son on top of me so I could hold him and talk to him. She also let him see a movie on the screen in the ceiling and let him wear sunglasses when she turned the light above on (that drove my son nuts). At the end, they gave him a reward and gave him great praise. We returned every 3 months for cleanings and eventually as he grew he got used to them, the place and the format. My dentist works with typical kids as well as special needs kids so I think the people in her office are trained in such a way that they know what to do. Also, we make sure that my son's favorite hygenist is there when we make the appointment and she makes sure that his visit is pleasant. Like I said, now its not an issue anymore. I think your idea of going every three months is a good one as well as field trips. Good luck! I have to add - my son is now 7 and he is now out of the private room in the open area with other kids, sounds, hygenists with no problems.

My son's got sensory schtuff (wheee) because he's ADHD... but the dentist has never been an issue. First trip, though, our dentist let him use / play EVERYTHING (no drills, the drills weren't out). He got to turn the sucker on and off, use it in his mouth, in mine, on his arm. Squirt the water. Change the lights. Make the chair go up and down. Ear plugs, sunglasses, etc. ((Our dentist doesn't do an exam on the first trip although he schedules the time for it, he just lets the kids play. He's NOT a pediatric dentist, he's in his late 80's with grandkids and great grandkids... 2 of whom are autistic, and several of whom are ADHD. So he just starts out treating all kids like they have sensory issues.))

What you're doing are the exact same things I would do if we didn't have world's-best-dentist.

Same token, if you can find a dentist who SPECIALIZES in sensory kids (or one like mine who is just durn GOOD with them), more the better. There's just a different way of coming AT a kid with sensory issues. Which I never really realized fully until our first hospitalization. ALL I'd have to do when a practitioner walked in was to say 'sensory issues' and they'd immediately shift gears and alter their approach. Whoa. Go figure.

Per my 9yo... some stuff has gotten better. Some hasn't. We work around the stuff that hasn't to the best of our ability. The meltdowns REALLY started to lessen at about age 4 as he got more mental / emotional integration and verbal abilities. He'd still be freaking out, but he could monitor himself for when he feels overload starting to happen/ step back... so there is WARNING instead of instant meltdown. With that warning we're *usually* able to alter the situation OR give him time to rev up his courage. Ditto, repeated exposure USUALLY lessens some of his anxiety about certain things (for others, it just grinds in the fear).

You're not BRAVE if you're not SCARED. Being brave means doing the right thing even though you're afraid to.

That's a phrase we've been using since he was a toddler. Working on being brave, instead of not being afraid. The fear will come. But he has a choice on how to deal with the fear. It is soooooooo nowhere near 100% (see my last post about the sleep study we were a part of, he completely lost it, twice). Probably closer to 80%.

So there IS light at the end of the tunnel. It's just tedious going until then.

It's a process. Our son with spd who is now 5, visited my dentist the first time when he turned 3 and it didnt go well at all. He cried and fought and we left without getting much done at all. The next time we chose to go to a pediatric dentist. It's an open environment and they have bed/benches instead of chairs, etc. The first visit, all he was willing to do was sit in my lap in a chair and they brushed with a regular toothbrush and flossed. The second visit was the same except they brushed on some fluoride. The next visit he was willing to sit on the bench on his knees and he let them polish his teeth. They were also able to get him to do xrays with such little fanfare that I was amazed. His last visit in May after he turned 5 was a little more in depth partly because he decided rocks were a good thing to chew on and he broke one of his front teeth and strained the ligaments in 2 of his molars. He let them do xrays again and they polished. He didnt like having to lay down to allow the doctor to examine his teeth from above but he cooperated since they were hurting him enough to want them to feel better.

All that, I guess, to say be patient and allow him to take it one step at a time. Maybe switch to an electric toothbrush at home to acclimate him to the vibration. Maybe brush him (if you dont know what that is, ask your OT or look online for "brushing" techniques) and do some deep pressure work before a dentist visit, or have him wear his heavy vest while he is there. maybe get creative like putting one of the lead vests on his lap while he's getting his teeth cleaned. If you have an OT, they may have some other ideas as well.