We have not used an oral surgeon yet, but found our great special needs dentist simply by googling "special needs dentist Cincinnati." If you have already tried doing that for your area, you might even post where you live, and see if anybody on this list serve has a reference for you. Also, if you have a local children's hospital, they may have a reference for you.

We did have to use general anesthetic for our son to get some dental work in the past. The day of the procedure is rough! I would definitely make sure that you talk to the dentist about possibly giving your son IV fluids on the day of the procedure if you can, because your son will not want to eat or drink for a while after.

Best of luck. Wish I could come up with better suggestions, but I hope you realize you are not alone.

I'm not talking about someone with autism but be skeptical about the oral surgeon tells you about wisdom teeth. I had all of mine pulled because one had a cavity and the doctor said the anesthesia would be harder on me as I aged. I was 46 at the time had no pain. My Dad was in his 90s when he had his first wisdom tooth pulled. The anesthesia wasn't bad so I felt like an idiot for losing three perfectly good teeth and lot of money.

I live in PA and our dentist uses a sedation that ur actually awake but don't know it... they call it Oral Sedation Dentistry. Dr. Shelly& his wife and Dr. Fort are the only dentists there, and the rest of the staff are amazing.. they are very quiet and calm, they will hold ur hand the whole time if you are nervous... they also offer a line of credit, called Care Credit card, and 0% interest the 1st year. The credit card can also be used for veterinarian bills as well. I highly recommend them, and if u can't get to PA for them, maybe search "sedation dentistry" and find someone near you who does the same type.. the oral sedation is $250 and you have to go in the day before to get the pills you take the next morning like an hour before you go in. I had my wisdom teeth pulled that way and you would swear you were asleep, but ur really awake and talking the entire time- u just don't remember, and then a bit later u "come to" and have to be driven home for the recovery.. your kiddo can still drink water (just no straws) and maybe try popsicles, jello with some fruit in it maybe...? But really they can still eat crunchy foods- just chew with front teeth... maybe saltine crackers? Crunch chew it up like a squirrel with ur front teeth and let it get soggy in ur mouth before you swallow... ibuprofen and ice packs for the face... just prepare your kiddo yourself and explain it in a cool way, nothing to be scared or nervous about- and recovery is faster than you think! And maybe offer a reward afterwards? You got this! Best of luck! Let me know if you want any help! ;)

Hi, I'm destiny and I had the same problem with my son. What you could do is tell him a week before any appt. That he is going to the dentist and you just have to keep reminding him up to that day of the appt. Also find out what your son favorite things are and use that to help him relax. Just remember lost of pations and forget to make time for yourself.

Hi Nathanielrobert:

Is there a university near you that has a dental school? My son goes to the special clinic at University of Maryland school there the students are in training to become special needs dentist. Also the prices are more reasonable than other dentist. His last bill was under $100 for work he'd done.

Please call and find out about this. Let me know if it works. I'm adding you to my team.

Harriet