Ethan is very sensory with his mouth. He always has been and this causes many issues. Brushing teeth is a big issue, something that Ethan still needs support with. We have good days and bad days. Small steps forward and then massive steps back. Wobbly teeth and tooth fairy visits also knock Ethan’s confidence and progress. As you can imagine this then has major consequences on his dentist appointments.
Over the years we have had to work on Ethan visiting the dentist. Including visits to the special needs dentist. Sensory dentist appointments where Ethan would just get the chance to play with the dentist chair. Fifteen minutes getting the chance to push the buttons making the chair go up and down. We also took the time to create many visual stories to help with these visits.
As Little E has got older she has been able to show Ethan how it is done. She is very proud of her new big teeth and happily shows them off to the dentist. It is always nice to hear the dentist compliment Little E on her very clean teeth. I always give myself a pat on the back knowing that I’m getting one of my children’s dental hygiene right. I can’t help but question myself if I’m too week with Ethan’s teeth brushing. But his sensory issues are too strong to easily overcome.
Ethan’s Recent Dentist Appointments
In February last year, Ethan had a bit of a dentist breakthrough. He sat in the dentist’s chair and let the dentist count his teeth. This was whilst the dentist held the mirror tool and wore gloves. Ethan hates the dentist’s gloves. The dentist normally has to remove them just to be able to get close to Ethan. We couldn’t have been prouder of him as this was a good step forward for him.
The children were scheduled to have their next dentist appointment in October. Due to the Covid closing and restrictions, their appointments were moved to December.
To prepare Ethan for the December dentist appointments we talked about what would happen. He has a baby tooth that is in a weird position in his mouth. It is loose but has been moving into his mouth. This has been making Ethan even more sensory when it comes to his mouth. This tooth is stopping him from eating things including some of his favourite foods. With this in mind, I was preparing for Ethan to keep his mouth closed.
To my surprise, Ethan was very eager to enter the dentist. We had to wait for the staff to let us in the building as part of the new procedures.
Little E was first in the dentist’s chair. We hope this helps to show Ethan what to expect. When it was Ethan’s turn he sat in the dentist’s chair but he wanted it in the upright position. Ethan let the dentist examine his wobbly tooth but he wouldn’t let the mirror tool go near his mouth.
Even Little E was on hand to inspect the offending tooth. I was so proud of them both during this dentist trip. Little E for acting older than her years and being a great example for her brother. Ethan for letting the dentist look at his tooth and overcoming the sensory issues it must have been causing him to do that. Now we just have to wait for that baby tooth to fall out!
Don’t be so hard on yourself. It sounds like Ethan has a lot of issues with his mouth and you are doing the best you can. It sounds like he has made good progress and Little E sets such a good example. I hope the baby tooth comes out soon. x