I'm taking Connor to the dentist this morning.
On the mom-end of things, I absolutely hate having to have Connor sedated - it scares me to have him under. He has done this before, so it's not the first time, but still. Ugh.
We gave him a bunch to eat last night, because he can't eat until after the appointment. Since he has such difficulty with even being there, we have to have him sedated and then the dentist does everything at once. So if he has a cavity in each quadrant of his mouth, he's getting them all done today :/ I don't know if he will or won't, it's been a couple years since his last visit since it's so traumatic for him.
The thing with Connor is if he knows what's coming, he can deal so much better. Contrary to what you or I might want, it actually helps him a lot to see the needle, to watch in the mirror while they do what they need to do. If the person tells him what they are doing just before they do it, Connor can manage better.
If he needs a shot in his mouth, the best way would be for the dentist (or whoever) to show Connor the needle and say, "I need to put this in your cheek. It will hurt, but just for a little while. Then it will be okay."
You don't want to ask permission of Connor, because of course, he'll say "No." You just say, "here we go" and then do it.
Last time Connor was so anxious he needed 3 different kinds of anesthesia, winding up with the IV drip to put him completely under. He fought it so hard (not falling asleep) that it took quite a bit extra. The next day, he was throwing up all day to get all the stuff out of his system. :(
We also had to explain to the insurance company the need for the additional drugs, but the guy approved it once he heard Connor was autistic. I will try to make sure they include that information on their billing to the insurance this time around...
And I need to remember to bring bubble-gum flavored toothpaste. He's watched a Sesame Street thing on going to the dentist, and the kid in the show gets a bubble-gum flavored cleaning. I don't think our dentist offers that flavor (?!?) so I have to bring something to follow Connor's expectations. The more we can follow what he's expecting, the easier it is for him to deal.
Wish me luck & prayers are always appreciated!!
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He didn't need anything at all - He was super-brave & held really still the whole time. He was given a mirror so he could see what was happening, and they let him hold the suction wand too. He only had small cavities in his molars that will fall out soon, so they just sealed them after cleaning. Even with the scraping & x-rays & everything, he did great! Way to go Connor! DQ treat after the fluoride treatment time was up :)
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