Saturday, September 11, 2010

Brushing Teeth

Princess hates, and I repeat, HATES having her teeth brushed.  Autism is an affliction that can cause oral sensitivity, and I can only imagine how intrusive it must feel to have a toothbrush in your mouth when you can't handle the slightest touch that is invasive.  As a result, Princess's teeth are not in the best condition.  The only solution is to wait until she needs a lot of work done and then go for a general anaesthetic and get it all done then.  This is pretty drastic and the last time we had it done was when Princess was 8 years old. 

How do I brush Princess's teeth?  I do it in very short bursts.  It is easier when she is sitting down, I think because of the angle of the toothbrush being easier for her to tolerate.  I sing "This is the way we brush our teeth" and say "Open" so she will open her mouth.  Then I run the toothbrush over Princess's front teeth, then she closes her mouth, I say "Open" and run the brush over her side teeth, then "Open" again as I repeat the task over her bottom teeth.  It truly is a task that is quick but definitely NOT easy.  Princess loves the rinse part, she can't get to it quick enough.  In this way I comfort myself that it isn't too traumatic for my girl - because she is SO happy to get to the rinse part. 

I have taken Princess to the dentist regularly and she is used to the chair and the dentist.  What she isn't used to - and perhaps won't ever be used to - is the opening her mouth and keeping it open until they have finished checking her teeth.  To try to minimise the risk of her teeth just rotting away I try to make sure Princess doesn't eat too many sugary foods or drink too many sugary drinks.  In this way I figure I'm balancing out the fact that I can't brush her teeth properly with the fact that if she doesn't eat or drink too much rubbish, it won't matter!!!

Brushing teeth - who would have thought it would take such a major effort?  It is just one more obstacle to clear away to bring Princess into my world.  I am hoping that one day her oral sensitivity will diminish or even disappear, but until then, I just have to keep on doing the best I can - and not give myself a hard time that I am not doing enough. 

More next time.