going to the dentist

Boo has a dental appointment tomorrow for fillings & a cap.
he's 5.5 years, has some oral sensitivities & more aural
sensitivities.
the work is all on his upper teeth. he had all 4 lower molars
'wiggled out' in December without a problem (and those are the
ones where novacaine is 'iffy')
he went in 2 weeks ago to get the fillings & just had a
meltdown over the drill noise, so he was referred to a
different pediatric dentist. our dentist is not specificly a
pediatric dentist, but he *is* fantastic with kids & Boo
really likes him. i kinda think he feels he's being
'punished' by being sent to a different dentist...
i know nothing about pediatric dentists. i have no idea how
they deal with sound sensitivities & that's all it is. Boo
will say he doesn't like the pinch when he's given novacaine,
but it doesn't upset him at all. he just had 8 stitches over
his eye & he didn't move a muscle the whole time, but did
comment that it pinched when she put one stitch in where the
anesthesia wasn't.
however, he's *very* stressed by the drill or even the
thought of the sound. suggestions?

JennP...

Why don't you let him wear headphones with his choice of music or a book on
tape?

I do think that you should call the dentist ahead of time and explain his
special needs and ask what they do for kids with sensitivity issues. HTH

Sue...

How would he tolerate ear plugs? Also, have you contacted the new dentist
and told them about the sound sensitivity and see what they have to say? Our
pediatric dentist is wonderful and goes slow and is very tolerate, but if
Kara had the sound sensitivy I am not sure either how he would handle it.

enigma...

well, i talked to the receptionist & she said that she's
almost positive they won't let him have earplugs, ear
protectors or headphones because they will want to talk to him
(open mouth wider, turn your head, etc).
i got news for them. you *can't* talk to a sensory kid having
a meltdown... well, ok, you can talk yourself blue, but he
isn't *hearing* anything.
however, she also said they aren't doing anything tomorrow
but meeting him & introducing him to the office. i can see i
really need to stress he is not NT, no matter how 'normal' he
looks.
lee

Good luck.

lee

Barbara...

Hey, Lee. Good luck!

Give the dentist a call in advance of the appointment, explain the
issues, and see what s/he suggests. The thing that immediately came to
mind for me is noise cancelling headphones, or at the very least
headphones with music. (I do know that a lot of kids with sensory
issues won't wear headphones, though; will Boo?)

enigma...

yes, he will. headphones have been a lifesaver here since he
was tiny. if we didn't have them or he wouldn't wear them, i'd
never vacuum, use a mixer or blender, never mind the power
stuff like chainsaws, chipper/shredders, powervac for the
pasture, the tractor...
i have a questionaire thing with questions about his favorite
movies, characters, etc. since he's not exposed to a lot of
pop culture, i'm a little at a loss... his favorite movie is
Scary Godmother, for example, which isn't exactly mainstream
(but he will watch it over & over & over...). he has no
favorite cartoon character or tv show.
lee