Dental issues are important for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, as they are for all children. Parents with autistic children may need to have a more hands-on approach to dental care. Simple treatments such as cleanings, x-rays, and fillings are likely to require sedation or general anesthesia. Dental Prevention is more than just a simple daily task for these families. Dental providers who understand special needs issues are few and far between. Below are some facts parents of autistic children should know about dental Health. 

Brush your child’s teeth! There will be days when it will be a battle or seem like world war III. At times you may feel like you should shut the blinds so your neighbors do not see or hear the battle. You may wonder if they think you may be abusing your child. A crying child resisting tooth brushing is a child with a wide open airway and a great heartbeat! You cannot hurt a child with a toothbrush. When your child poops, you wipe their bottom because not cleaning them would be disgusting and inhumane. When they eat, you should brush their teeth as it is just the other end of the same digestive tract. Not brushing their teeth is just like not wiping their bottom after a poop! 

Good nutrition is important for all of us. Feed your child a balanced diet of real food. Children need real food not processed foods. Children need lean sources of protein such as meats, fish, and chicken. Children also need vegetables that are prepared healthily. Our modern society has us so busy, working so efficiently and hard, that we often do not take the time to make sure the fuel we put into our bodies is making us more healthy and giving us more energy. Fast food is like death in a bag or box. Processed food is full of chemicals and super high levels of sugars that cause cavities. We need to change our definition of good food to what is described above. Bad food addiction is a serious problem. Obesity adds to the risk a child will have issues with dental cavities. Obesity makes sedation or 

general anesthesia more risky. Know how many calories your child should consume daily and learn to cook flavor-filled foods that meet that requirement. Overweight autistic kids can end up with more dental problems as just discussed. 

 Autism and Dental Care Treatment 

Make sure your child drinks water. Water is required to make all of the systems of our bodies function well. If you look under the sink where you store your household cleaners, you will find that a majority of those cleaners have a common component; water. Water is what makes up most cleaners, and they have a small amount of a chemical added to them. Water dilutes acids and cleans the mouth. One of the best analogies is to look at where water flows fast over a waterfall.

The rocks are smooth and clean. Where water flows slowly, the rocks are covered with algae and dirt. The mouth and the teeth are very similar. Have your child drink several glasses of water a day. Water dilutes the acids, washes away the sugars, and dissolves most things in the mouth. Drinking water is correlated with improved dental and medical health. 

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Establish a dental home with an American Board of Pediatric Dentistry Specialty Board-certified pediatric dentist or general dentist that understands how to best dentally care for children having autism. Children should have a dental home established within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth.

Why so early? Because prevention is much safer and cheaper than treatment. If your child was to have trauma from learning to pull up, stand up. or walk, it would be better to take them to the office of your regular provider than to have to take them to the ER. The local ER is going to be full of sick people, likely to have long waits for minor dental trauma, and may not even have a pediatric dentist willing to come in and treat your child.

The popular catchphrase is “anticipatory guidance” which means letting you know what is going to happen next and what specific prevention program your child requires. When you have a quality provider or group of providers, these issues can be put to rest. Autism Pediatric Dentists or Autism Local Dentists, with experience treating children with autism - understand how best to provide optimal children dental care. 

Autistic Dentistry and Autism Dental Care

Prevention is the key for autistic children. Parents must understand they are more responsible for regular tooth brushing and flossing. Parents need to make the decision to seek preventive care that meets the needs of their children. This may include cleanings more than 2 times a year, and parents may have to pay out of pocket for the extra preventive care. A dental home must be established which is integrated into your local medical system to reduce sedation by combining procedures with other medical specialties. 

 

In summary, Autistic spectrum disorders can make relatively simple dental treatments may be more complex. Prevention is the key to success. Having good oral hygiene, proper dental office care, and following good nutrition habits can help. We did the Best Autism and Dental Care Treatment Blog Discussion Online in this local pediatric dentist article. If you are a dental professional and like to share your dental knowledge with our users, please email us. Local Dental Chat about Pediatric Dentistry with us.