Dental Issues for Teenagers with Autism

More on how to take your child with autism to the dentist and get braces for your child.

What did my child need?

For years, we took our child to our regular dentist.

To be honest, I don’t love this dental office.

However, they have one dental hygienist who has been with my son since he was little. She only works one day a week.

She’s worth the visit every time.

I book her every six months.

Eventually, we had to get braces for our son.

I worried because I didn’t know if braces and autism would get along.

With my son, I was pleasantly surprised.

He did great.

He rather quickly adapted to his braces. When he had to clean his teeth with braces for two and a half years, he did great.

Last February, my son got his braces removed.

Well, no, which is why I’m writing about dental issues with your child with autism.

First, my son had to wear retainers at night.

This took a while to get used to. He had to remember to put them in.

My son eventually got used to it and things went smoothly.

Then, we got a bit of a surprise…My son needed more work on his teeth.

After the braces came off, the orthodontist realizes (through the x-rays) that my son’s bite was off.

This meant that another set of retainers had to be made and they had to be worn with rubber bands.

Tiny, tiny rubber bands.

My son struggled.

The rubber bands were hard to put on.

He was frustrated at first. It took him a while to accept the instructions that he had to wear them for twenty hours a day.

In typical fashion, my son learned how to put on the rubber bands after a day or two.

Above all, he accepted that this situation only lasted a couple of months.

He has yet again risen to the challenge!

Dental Issues for Teenagers with Autism can be a challenge.

And, apparently, they may not be finished when you think they’re finished.

I feel I’m lucky that my son adapts relatively well.

He’s great that way.

Hopefully, other kids can have success as well.

Dental Issues for Teenagers with Autism

Here’s a comprehensive article about autism and dental issues: