Monday, September 18, 2006

teeth


well I am still very concerned about your teeth. ALL your permanent teeth to date have come in before any of your baby teeth fell out. Right now both top teeth are trying to come in over the tops of the other front top teeth. The old baby teeth look horrible...are moving DOWNWARD farther each day and I KNOW are loose.....but not loose enough to come out. Meanwhile your new teeth are almost like buck teeth.......and I know that cannot be good. I keep on you to push those loose teeth more with your fingers....so we can get them out....so your new permanent teeth will come down and have more room to fall into their proper positions. I HOPE they do that. I worry too much time will have gone by. The bottom front teeth did the same thing but came in BEHIND the bottom front teeth. EVENTUALLY your baby teeth did come out and the new teeth moved up into their proper positions. Now you have a side tooth on the bottom also coming in behind the baby teeth.

Needless to say this makes your mouth extremely tender and sore. VERY difficult to brush those front teeth....so they are really full of crud! I know we can scrub the stuff off...but trying to get you to hold still so I can help scrub them when you have sore gums and bleeding areas and loose teeth is almost impossible. I have tried using a Q-tip with some toothpaste on it. I want to try dipping some in hydrogen peroxide and washing the teeth with that hoping and praying this will BUBBLE some of that crud off.

I wish it were as simple as making an appointment and you go to the dentist and no fears,...no sensitivities...no funny smells and sounds to bother you....no weird tastes or textures.....

I know if I make an appointment it will have to be someone who has worked with these issues before. This will likely mean a trip to the Children's Medical Center's Dentistry Department if possible. I imagine they will have to knock you out to work in your mouth.......ALL traumatic for you....all exhausting for us both. It causes huge anxiety for me just to even think about it.

BUT I cannot let it go much longer. It has been months since the teeth started like this. While they are moving down and becoming more loose....they are in the way.

sigh.................

i love you noah......forever i will.

mommy :X

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I enjoy your blog very much. Thank you for sharing your relationship with your son? When and how was he diagnossed? He sounds like an engaging and fantastic kid. I know it must be difficult, but you are a very lucky woman to have your son.

CS

Anonymous said...

We are having similar teeth issues. (with our AS kid) and I have finally made an appointment with a Ped. dentist that has experience with Austism spectrum disorders. We are trying and trying to get the crud off. Very hard.

Melinda said...

thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments and it is GREAT to connect to someone else who is experiencing similar problems! Stay in touch and come back and visit and I will do the same to your blog. I was just there...but will leave a comment later!

Lynanne said...

Have you ever tried Toothette's? (google them if you don't know what they are) They are much more gentle than a toothbrush. We used them a long time ago for my sons SI therapy program (before he couldn't even use a toothbrush). We had to get the unflavored kind which are harder to find. Check with your local drug/medical supply store. They are often used for chemo patients who have very delicate gums.

I would say the sooner you can get to the dentist the better. It's much better to start with preventative care than to have to go when there is a full blown problem. You may need to schedule several pre-visits where you take things a step at a time. Tour the office the first time just so he can see the equipment. The second time he can try sitting in the chair (without the dentist touching him) and so forth.

Even with my son’s severe sensory issues and anxiety we are still able to go in for cleanings every 6 months. He sees a pediatric dentist whose practice is mainly for children with special needs. We tried a plain pediatric dentist who claimed to be willing to work with our son. The dentist was ok but the staff was horribly clueless!

I don't know how you feel about sedation but I was torn on the issue. On one hand it made things go a lot easier (for me - my son didnt like the feeling the sedation gave him), but there can be risks from medication, especially in children who are prone to idiosyncratic reactions (as my son is - once before a CAT scan they gave him enough sedative to knock out a horse and he was literally bouncing off the walls). We try to do the visits without medication now. I feel bad because my son still can’t tolerate a full visit and is clearly uncomfortable (they schedule him last so there aren’t other children in the waiting room). Going to the dentist will probably never be a comfortable experience for him but it’s a necessity for him. He’s already had 5 cavities in his baby teeth because it’s so difficult to brush his teeth.

Good luck! I feel for you both!

Melinda said...

thanks for the heads up on Toothettes! I doubt I can get him to try it but you never know. I DID switch out his toothbrush for an adult one...and the crud finally brushed off! SO that is good news. I do worry about the teeth all coming in front of or behind his other teeth before they fall out. I am praying they come out like TODAY so the others can move into their proper position. Regardless I KNOW I will have to make the dreaded dentist appointment eventually. Thanks for the helpful comments!