Luke V. Dentistry

Three visits in a row (three trips every 6 months since Luke turned 3) we have TRIED to get Luke to open his mouth for the dentist.  Even just to take a peek, not to touch or clean.  Nope.  Let's be honest here, for three visits in a row we have tried to simply get Luke to TALK to the dentist!  Nope.  Not a word.  Three visits in a row we have been shot down. 

Until today. 

Today Luke, my sweet, brave boy, let the hygienist clean his teeth, even with the noisy, tickly polishing brush/air sucker combo, and then let the dentist "count" each tooth (while secretly checking for soft spots that might be cavities).

This is kind of a big deal.  Luke's sensory alarms are majorly triggered in his mouth.  "Alert!  Intruder!  This is a level 4 invasion.  Something strange in the immediate vicinity!  Do not cooperate.  Do not engage.  Run!  Alarm!  Alert!  Attack if you must!"  This is why eating was (and still can be) such an issue for him.  His sense of taste, texture and temperature in his mouth is hyper-acute and he refuses to have anything to do with unfamiliar people, food or objects near or in his mouth.  I was starting to think we'd have to take Luke to a specialty dentist who works with special needs kids, who could drug him up a bit to get him to relax enough to get his teeth checked.  I know, awful, but true!  His teeth seemed fine, but I didn't want to find out that they weren't fine by discovering one was rotting in his mouth.  Gross.

I was wrong!  No specialist required!  I am SO glad I was wrong!  Luke did it all on his own.  Yes, yes.  There was a little incentive from Mom.  I don't use bribery regularly, and it is rare when I use it with any of my children but Luke, but I'm definitely not above bribery with him, especially if the bribe can prove to him that he CAN do things that are scary or hard for him to do.  He was told that if he cooperated he would be able to pick out a small toy at the store afterward.

With that incentive (read: bribe) in his back pocket, he was brave and did everything he was supposed to do.  I could tell he was uncomfortable and a little afraid, but he didn't cry, he didn't whimper, he didn't pull away or freak out.  He didn't talk to the dentist this time either.  But he DID open up and let the cleaning and checking be done.  After we were all finished with the appointment, Luke and I talked about how he felt before, during and after the cleaning.  I listened as he talked about his feelings, the good and the bad, and then I told him about how things might feel scary or unfamiliar, but we can be brave and do what we need to even when it is hard.  And we can feel so good about conquering our fears afterward.  I love when he has a clear, obvious success like this.  I think it helps him leaps and bounds more than any other thing we do with him. 

Now that he's been through it once, next time I think the cool prizes the dentist's office gives will be incentive enough.  Good job, Luke!  I'm a proud mama today!  And look at those sparkling pearly whites!