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.
