Bad Teeth
Some bloggers have sitemeters. Some bloggers check their sitemeters to see who is searching what subject, if they are brave. Occasionally I am brave and check. What follows are three pieces upon subjects that three people researched via google.
This is the fourth topic:-
Now there’s a curious search. I can see why people would visit me to find evidence that "British people have bad teeth." I would be eminently qualified in that department. But why search about bad teeth AND autism? Still, I suppose it makes a welcome change from searching any subject with the addition of "not autism," so I’ll stop moaning.
Bad teeth might be an area of concern, if a little vague. Some scientific types are concerned about mercury and the incidence of autism. Some parents and scientists suggest that there is a connection between "mercury tooth fillings and autism." These are weighty matters for many. Other people worry about more mundane matters, that even if they could get their child to visit a dentist, the chances of the orthodontist getting a peek of those little enamel toothies, is unlikely. Those parents have experienced great difficulty when it comes to children’s teeth cleaning and dental hygiene in general. Strangely, inserting a blunt instrument with bristles, in the oral cavity of some individuals, is not a preferred activity. If this less preferred activity is required twice daily, a child may begin to bristle, whilst a parent becomes bald.
Some parents fool themselves: he doesn’t eat anything so there’s nothing to rot his teeth, or, they’re only baby teeth, he’ll learn how to do it later, or, my child is a vegan, he only eats the insides of cucumbers, only, and only the flesh, they’re not acidic, even by the bushel, or, I’m already bankrupt from the costs of therapy, and cucumbers are very expensive this time of year, this is really a saving.
Since we’re in America, some fortunate people do have dental insurance to defray the cost. The kindly dentist, sensitive to the needs of the child, recommends a full general anesthetic. These parents are lucky to have found such an empathetic individual. They only have to pick up the tab for the "anesthetist" which is generally only a few thousand dollars, a real bargain for such expertise. Without trivializing the inherent risks of anesthesia, it has to be balanced against the trauma of subjecting a child to professional dental care. Let’s face it, as much as we love amateurs and keen enthusiasts, when it comes to anesthesiology, we want the "professionals."
Is there a higher incidence of bad teeth with autistic individuals? Does bad diet and limited oral hygiene contribute to such a phenomenon, if it exists in the first place? I expect that any time soon there will be a new study examining this issue.
Meanwhile, I’m considering a new marketing venture, organic compost composed primarily of cucumber seeds and skins. I hope it can be a co-operative. All profits could be donated to those in need of anesthetists. Any offerings? Please mail in a hermetically sealed jiffy bag to the following address:-Mulch for Mouths2nd Molar from the Anterior Open BitePeriodontal PlaceIncisor LaneEnamelville



graceunderautism - on May 10, 2008
LOL!!! I get a lot of hits to my blog from "autism and dentists." J had to have a ton of dental work done at the age of 4.5 years. The first opinion we got, the dentist wanted full general anestetic and to charge enough for a small horse. The second dentist was comfortable using the "happy juice" and gas. J didn't remember a thing; the exam the week before was more traumatic for him.Maddy - on May 10, 2008
I shall expect your Jiffy bag post haste then?Love
Maddy
farmwifetwo - on May 11, 2008
My eldest has never had any extra interventions for dental work. He's never had an issue with the full look in, to clean, to floride. When they pulled one of his upper teeth (permanent was coming in over top), he handled the freezing and the pull with no problems. Just held the assistants hand and that was it. When they coated his 4 permanent molars, the appt was 40min and they were done in 20. All before the age of 8.Little boy it's all I can do to brush them, and he's good about it, not happy, but tolerates it now. He holds the cloth to wipe his mouth afterwards and that helps.
He had a cavity (plastic filling and full clean etc) so we had surgery this past winter. He did AMAZING!!!!!! The NT girl a couple of years older than him freaked and screamed..... he counted to 20 and fell asleep... not a whimper before or after. The Dr's and Nurses kept telling us over and over again how well he did. He grinds his. The dentist was surprised he had a cavity since they are "ice-rink smooth".