My son has autism and is non-verbal. I feel that seeing the dentist would require sedation as well. Thanks in advance!
Depends on age of your child and the patience/quality of the dentist.
Most surgeries performed under a local anesthetic tend to be a good bit safer and have fewer complications afterwards because the surgeon has the ability to check physical signs of pain etc since the patient is conscious and able to feel more ie legs/arms etc. He (the surgeon) has to be more careful in general which means there are less chances of accidents and discomfort caused to other parts of the body etc. Recovery time tends to be quicker since nausea and bowel functions etc are not a concern.
That being said, in order to safely keep the child awake, the dentist has to be reasonably certain and have spent enough time educating etc the child to be sure that the child isn't going to freak out and risk injury and mistakes made by sudden movement etc.
When my ASD child was little (about 4) she needed to go under the general because there was just too much risk of her freaking out and moving.
I thought the same would apply when she was older (12) but the dentist was one who worked exclusively with disability people of all types. He spent a good 4 or 5 hours with multiple visits just getting her used to the dentist chair and all of the equiptment. It didn't matter that she didn't speak to him. It mattered that she was able to listen and understand and not be afraid of the procedure.
Few dentists are able to do this, however and had he not have been there, she would have had a general.
My 15 year old is scheduled to get her wisdom teeth out next week, and I HOPE they use general anesthesia. I just had a colonoscopy that used propofol, and I paid attention and realized my daughter would never be able to cope with that. THey just jammed this plastic hose in my nose, it reeked of plastic. The bed was crowded around with technicians and beeping equipment, and the propofol made me sick for the rest of the day. Keep in mind that neurodivergent people often don't react to pain killers. I had bone surgery when I was 17, and the painkiller wore off halfway through and the codeine they gave me for recovery didn't work. It gave me PTSD. I thought a lot about the Civil War. I know my daughter is her own individual, but it's really hard for me not to project my own fears and anxieties onto her or expect that she's going to have the same experiences I had, you know? Good luck!
Thank you for the advice! My son is 14, 5'8" and very strong. Having met enough doctors in his life who don't want to deal with autism, I want to meet the right dentist for him.