Hi folks! A lot of you are asking about headphones and sedation. With sedation they wouldn’t allow him to take that riskier option on a small cavity filling. With headphones he was using some while watching the ceiling TV (not shown on video) and by the time the dentist was going to drill, Alistair refused any headphones because he was already overwhelmed. Thanks everyone for your support!

I’m on the autism spectrum and knowing ahead of time what a dentist is going to do to you is important. Had my last baby tooth extracted a few months back and had a while to prepare. In the end it went well with no laughing gas/sedation just a quick shot to numb and get it yanked out.

I am a dentist with an autistic teenage son. Please ask the dentist to use a slow speed drill instead of a high speed one, if possible. It doesn't "shoot" that much and the sound is lower. My son can't take gas or local anesthetic shot, but we did 4 fillings successfully.

I feel and sympathize with your pain Alistair. Nobody likes the drill, even 29 year old men like myself. U got this and can stick this out. With you till the end. Your Brave! 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍

He's gonna be scared cuz he's still young like most kids are so this doesn't surprise me at all, it's normal. Try the sedation dentistry if it's a option, it goes so much easier. Goodluck guys!!

I am autistic. When it comes to shots and dental things. I do so much better when the dentist or the person giving a shot says this is going to hurt real bad but only for a few seconds or 30 seconds or whatever . The moment someone lies to us and says it's not going to hurt and it does. We are devastated... Saying something's going to hurt like hell for just a few minutes and then having that experience that is truthful to what we've been told makes it so much less painful and so much less unknown. We don't trust medical providers when it comes to saying something's not going to hurt. Just be real. It hurts. Is this true for anyone else on the spectrum? Usually the unknown aspect of these situations is where the pain lies. So being up front and removing the unknown just makes everything so much better. Like imagine telling him getting your cavity done, it's going to hurt, the noise is going to drive you crazy. It's going to be a real difficult time. But as soon as it's done you're going to feel so much better. For me anyways it works wonders. The unknown is very painful. Knowing you're going to be in pain is less painful than unknowing

He is so brave right now, seeing Alister cry about the drill almost makes me feel sad for him, I don’t like seeing kids upset. He doesn’t like the sound of it, because it hurts his ears. That’s a good reason for him. I hope your son gets the filling put in his tooth, he will be ready by the next dental visit.😢😢😢

Alistair has gotten so good at communicating his feelings and emotions.

I worked at my former orthodontist’s office where I had braces as a sterilization tech (cleaning and sterilizing all things used for patients). I have a friend that is autistic that I know personally that was starting to get braces one day. Before the appointment, I told the doctor and clinician that I knew this patient personally and that he is autistic. I told them to explain everything before proceeding, as well as explaining it slowly. Since he knew that I was going to be at the office, I sat in with him during the entire appointment and he felt really comfortable the entire time. He also did treatment on a day that was originally closed, but opened up for just starting braces only - meaning the office only had two other patients present at the time. That worked well because it was quiet and less distracting. Of course, a dental office is much different than an orthodontist’s office. In the end, our patient with autism did very well and allowed us to go into his mouth, which has been hard for other patients with special needs, and he left the office satisfied. My friend does not have any issues with loud noises or textures, he just likes to know what things are going to be done in advance, so that worked out great. I also had added to his chart for future scheduling that all appointments needed to be at least 30 minutes long. This way, if he needed a break mid-appointment, it would not throw our whole schedule off and we wouldn’t have to rush. I have to say, though, the doctor, clinician, and I all thought he did very well the entire time, and I told him that if he needed a break to raise his hand or say when 😊

I have autism too, and I understand how he feels. I can take everything else like shots and everything but if it’s a tool going up my nose or unmentionable other holes I literally can’t do it. I remember when I was seven. I got UTIs and they had to try to put a catheter in my tract and I seven doctors holding me down, and I literally was fighting for my life.

Poor Allistair, he's such a sweet kid. Big Hugs bro... 🫂

I have Asperger's, which is the high functioning end of the spectrum. When I was younger, going to the dentist may not have been easy on occasion. Luckily however, I always made it through every single appointment, which I always enjoyed going because it always worked out in the end and left my appointments feeling happy

I'm on the autism spectrum and I was brave having my filling done

Thank you so much 🙏🏽💕 This is very helpful for families with children that have autism. ALOHA 🌺

When I was much younger one of my baby molars fell out on its own. Best tooth extraction ever!

Bless him, that’s so hard. I know what he means that feeling inside the mouth it dose feel like the drill is going right through the top of my head, I know it’s not, but it feels like it is. My new dentist is the best I’ve had so far, she understands my Autism explains everything she doing and gives me time. I’m 62 and it’s still hard, I’m impressed how hard Alistair tried. It’s such an uncomfortable feeling and the sounds inside your head. Not nice.

Don't be scared, Alistair. The Dental drills won't hurt as long as you stay still.

I know what it is like to be afraid of something and not wanting to confront it. I am on autism spectrum disorder as well. When I was very young, I was afraid of the car wash so much that right in the middle of it I got out of the vehicle and exited the car wash area. I have fortunately got over my fear of car washes.

My daughter is 13 and just got diagnosed. 🙏🏽 it’s a learning process

I'm not autistic and feel the same even as adult lol .. can't imagine how hard it must be for an autistic child but it's relatable.

Poor kid 😢 good job Alastair for doing that you did awesome❤ and I am on the autism spectrum too and I had to have that done it did not feel great

Taking my 11yr old son next week to the dentist and hoping he does well!!

I'm on the spectrum too, and i understand the pain from the fear of the dentist. I'm 25, and i hate the sound of the drill, too. It might be best to sedate him completely so that he isn't awake during the procedure and can take a nap. It might minimize his fear and panic, and he won't even remember what happened!

Sorry for him he is ok

I can totally relate to this little guy, I hate being touched on my face and I’m lucky that the Dentist I visit is a lovely and understanding lady.I have had several autistic shutdowns because of being extremely anxious and overwhelmed by my anxiety with regarding dentist appointments

Hi. My name is Rebekah and I am 21 years old with autism. I totally understand what you are going through Alastair. All of the cleaning tools and the suction, I really don’t like the noises of them as I am sensitive to sound. I usually cry at the dentist. You did such a great job.😄👍🏾🩷

Alistair is brave! The dentist helps people feel better so they will not be in pain.

My lad too was nervous, we went for sleepy dentist for several bits of work. Hope he warms up more for future work.

I’m an adult and get so anxious just for a simple cleaning, with fillings I’m worse. I get it and understand that fear. As a child my parents gave me Valium sometimes just to get me into the car for a dental visit. Now I go first thing, almost the first appointment of the day, before I eat or drink anything. It helps so I don’t worry the entire day, and after the appointment I go get a treat at Starbucks! But the Valium did wonders for me as a kid, now as an adult I have to find other ways to handle my fear and dental anxiety, sometimes taking headphones and playing my own music that I find comforting. Hang in there, in time it does get better.

Sensory issues is truly an unpleasant and most certainly distressing part of autism, I hope he managed to do well after his fright at the dentist :((

He’s braver than me! I only had one early development of a cavity in my life & I was bawling!

I recently found out I am on the spectrum. Going to the dentist and brushing my teeth are so, so challenging. I found that unflavored toothpaste and a variable speed Oral B has made a big difference and both can be found on amazon. I have an emergency dental appointment in a couple of days because I only go when the pain is worse than my anxiety and fears. Now that I know I'm autistic I am preparing myself and bringing some tools that help with the drilling, bright light, and anxiety. Plan to use stimming and inform my new dentist of my sensitive mouth and the things that make me anxious. Feeling prepared really helps.

My dentist is horrible, they lied and did things at my appointments that were not discussed. I’m not autistic, but I feel with Alistair.

dentist visits for me felt the same, I would have so much anxiety because one of the things doing xrays i hated because i have bad memories from choking on them (they put it in the side of your jaw, deep down) and I get really scared doing it still, but I push through the best I can, I do use my coping stuff when I have to do healthcare as a patient like headphones with music, holding a plush, etc. P.s. unironic i know but I work in healthcare as a janitor too lol, I used to have problems with dealing with the environment but i am used to it now thanks to project search helping me out!

That’s hard to see Alistair like this. Hope he isn’t in a lot of pain ❤

I feel so sorry for Alistair as I have autism just like him. I hate the drill too!

I doesn’t get that much better when you get older. Nobody, autistic or not, likes shots or the sound of that drill rattling around their skull. I’m 36 and I take an anxiety ball into the dentist with me because that stuff is unpleasant! And nobody likes having their teeth messed with. It’s just something you have to do. Frankly one dose of real toothache will make you love your dentist! You have to realise it’s a bit of minor pain now to avoid major pain further down the line. 10 minutes and it’s over. I tell myself this every time I’m in the waiting room. And every time it’s true.

It’s ok Alistair the dentist is trying to help you feel better it will be okay stay strong and if you get through it you will get better so you don’t have to worry about it anymore it’s ok

I had two cavity fillings. It was not a plesent experience. Even as an Autistic adult the dentist can be a bit of struggle. Used to have a habit of not brushing my teeth.

i have sound sensitivity and can definitely empathize with some noises driving me crazy. having chronic pain only adds to the frustration. i would agree that getting sedated or put to sleep can really help, but many dentists do not offer such choices or refuse to take insurances like medicaid. However, sometimes you can find a hospital dentist who has an anesthesiologist or crna available to put people to sleep.

I used to be like that when I was younger because of my autism.

I can definitely relate to this. I’m a teenager who may be autistic (waiting for an assessment) and the dentist has always been bad for me just due to all the noises, I had a couple of cavities that had to be filled a while back and I was put on laughing gas since I knew I was going to have anxiety, and I ended up having 2 panic attacks, so that was fun

hugs

I’ve always found bringing a comfort item helps

if i were getting this done, i would want that anesthesia ASAP. then after I fall asleep, carry on with the procedure.

I had meltdowns at the dentist. I have a developmental delay. Not autism. But id get sooo overwhelmed and overstimulated

Would headphones work i have sensitive hearing and I need headphones in order to listen to music I don’t like the drilling noise either but I find headphones keep me calm and relaxed or holding my hand also helps too

I am on the Autism Spectrum, it took me over 30 years before I got a filling 2 on the same day. When I found out I had Cavities right after healing having a Wisdom tooth remove. I was scared about the fillings and mad at myself for not taking better care of my teeth but after that I do take better care of my teeth and started flossing with Oral-b glide floss because my teeth are too close together. After getting the fillings I was afraid to chew gum for about a year and chewing is one of my stims.

I could understand how he feels

Great video

This is relatable

I guess ideas on being (or not being) able to refuse to have a procedure done at that age have changed since I was growing up back in the 1980s. Whenever I had a cavity when I was growing up not having it filled was absolutely not an option. By law my parents could have made the decision for me any time before age sixteen. I wonder if his dentist or oral surgeon is worried about possible infection if he doesn’t get the tooth drilled and filled. An infected tooth can become very serious in short order. I remember hearing in an episode of Dr. G. Medical Examiner that a cavity can become a dental abscess and that in a matter of days the infection can spread to other areas. You really don’t want that. I wonder if his oral surgeon or other dentist thinks that antibiotics of some kind at some dosage for some period of time might help to prevent this in addition to good tooth brushing, flossing, etc.

It does makes them feel like this my son is the same way too.

Have you tried bone conduction headphones paired with earplugs? It'd be hard for him to hear you, though.

I know that feeling all too well.

The dentist still makes me nervous as I'm under the mild spectrum

I’m on the autism spectrum and I get scared when I see things that scare me like he does, what you guys can do is that you guys can ask them if they can put him to sleep, so they can do whatever they need to do for him. I had to get my teeth pulled many times as a kid because I was having tooth pain even tho I didn’t have cavities, they put me to sleep so they can pull it out and when i woke up, I didn’t remember anything

so there's 3 kids with autism at my church and i sat with one and she kept asking me " it done?" when i nodded to her the first time, i was wondering if they do that if they don't get a verbal answer or is it just a autism?

Third. And I’m back sorry I have been busy getting ready for my holiday on Monday I am going to Disney world in Florida. As you know with my high chance of ADHD, Autism and OCD etc I have this same problem I hate anything that involved touching my hair,mouth, body etc, I like personal space and get really annoyed when I have to go to the dentist. I also have severe social and normal anxiety which impacts the visits as well. I’m very excited for Sunday as it is my birthday and I am turning 15!

When I was in 7th grade I had to get teeth pulled and I was terrified of the laughing gas bc when I was little I had some trauma with the mask and I totally understand how alister feels.

I had to get my first drilling and filling recently from a fractured enamel caused by chewing on stuff i shouldnt. I agree that the drill is one of the worst sounds you can hear, its very painful to the ears. (im 28 and autistic and severe sensory processing issues). What helped me was being allowed to have my airpods in with music i liked or a video i knew really well word for word, and taking a pill like Xanax. my dentist also let me hold this swishy ball like that has stuff inside and told me to "try to break it open" which was very distracting cause of the texture of the ball

I’m autistic too and when I was a kid I used to be put to sleep when getting fillings because I absolutely HATED the dentist

Maybe noise cancelling headphones with his favorite music or show or movie on Netflix or Disney plus. & if he has a team of therapists discuss them making a social story for him about what to expect with filling appointments

hey,can u tell how u made ur children into reading and mixing sounds from initial to advance.can u please help.i am struggling .waiting for ur replay.

Treating kids in general is difficult, let alone kids with autism. As an oral health therapist whose main job is working in dentistry with kids on a daily basis, I personally think he did really well lying down on the dental chair. You can clearly tell that he understood what was going on and tried his best. Not many kids his age without a medical condition can do what he did, so well done to him and to you. Don't beat yourself up. I hope you found an alternative way to treat his cavity.

I had the thpe if think happen to me but i had to havve all of my top row of teef removed because of pearants miss treating me and stufit was not fun at all (the pearants thing is sorted now luckeyly)

What might work is giving him a half tablet of Benadryl or a minor sleep aid before you go. It won't completely knock him out, but it might relax him enough to where he can breathe in the nitrous and get the numbing gel. We do that for my middle brother and it helps him tremendously!

I hate when they drill, last time, I asked to listen to my music, blasted my favourite band very loud in my isolating headphones did help a little, but still that vibration was extremely hard to forget (I'm ASD as level 1)

I struggled with shots period as a kid. The moment I feel a finger on me I flip. Many rescheduled appointments. It has to be in my strong arm and I have to see it

My dentist knocks me out and im not on the spectrum ❤

That’s good stuff to know is that alaster. When they do cavetys. They put the gas thing on me

You know Alastor from Hazbin Hotel used drill in his teeth and nothing went wrong with him.

I hate the drill as well. Got three cavities filled at one time which wasn’t fun. I’ve gotten them filled more than once

I have two questions. Is it possible to put him to sleep for procedures like that or more has to get done than just cleaning? And if he doesn’t like the sound of the drill, could you bring headphones for him? I’m legally blind with light sensitivity, And my hygienist always allows me to wear sunglasses during cleaning.

My son doesnt even get to that point lol he can’t stand the needle lol. Thomas gets anxiety so going to the dentist is impossible. ❤

I have sensory issues and my dentist lets me listen to music in my headphones while he fills cavities

I watched what to prepare for before going to the dentist it’s helps. But tell Alistair if you don’t brush your teeth really well you can get more cavities it’s better to fix it now instead of later when you have several. When I was his age I had one cavity. At nearly twenty I have 13 that have to be fixed over several appointments. I brushed everyday but I didn’t floss because of sensory issues. And I still have a lot of cavities because of sugar. When I eat food it hurts . Tell him it’s going to feel like being pinched in the mouth each time you eat something crunchy. I think he might require sedation like my autistic brother has to have done.

Poor Alistair 😢

I have aspergers i go to a special care dentist they had to knock me out completely for extractions but i can handle a filling now as long as i have my music

I’m on the Asperger’s spectrum, I was like moderately feared about the spray that tastes like cherry cough candy, and the syringe, which makes me look like I was in a horror movie with an evil dentist. 🦷💉

Couldn't he be sedated or go to the hospital and have a general anaesthesia for the cavity?

I have spd adhd and autisim I have trouble with loud noises I’m scared of drills I anyways ask to wear headphones!

The last dentist I went to didn't have a sedation mask, so I had to feel the needles in my mouth every time for anesthesia, just to either pull a tooth or drill one, I could still feel some of the pain while numb, and having the dentists hand in my mouth while trying to extract my tooth was very uncomfortable, felt like I was being choked. One joke from a sitcom: this needle will stop you from feeling pain. What's gonna make me not feel the shot?

Poor Alistair, does he get any better now?

When I was little, they put me to sleep.

I dont like any doctors appointments it stresses me out i dont like being touched i let them know that and they are pretty good about letting me know they are about to touch me

Hey I’m autistic as well you guys might want to try dental surgery at hospital I go to the hospital to get any dental thing done it helps

HI I was diagnosed with autism at the age of Three

Hi! Did you all find a dentist that is good with people with disabilities? Did the cavity get fixed?

Does still Alistair have level 3 autism ? Since age 3, he made lots of progress.

This is not news, when I was 9, I screamed (yes screamed) for a whole full hour. There were three doctors in my room. I had a root canal 😢 and yes I wasn’t diagnosed back then. I am still scared of the dentist now😅

I know how you feel little one. I'll be 63 in a couple of days. I can't handle the shots in my mouth. Shots hurt in thr first place. 😢 but the ones in you're mouth are really bad.

He might benefit from a dentist who uses either Solea or Waterlase. All lasers = no shots, no drills, no noise! 🦷 Look up some videos of the Solea in action. I would have linked my favorite video of it here but then it would just look spammy.

Blue Wave Touchless Wash

I have autism too but im different than them i play video games chores and very active on social media so yeah

Iv sedation needed gas and air doesn’t do anything I’m with him on that one. Poor kid. Yes it’s a needle but it’s so quick compared to the drill and you literally can’t remember or aware of anything.

I feel like they sould have ear plugs cause it hurts the head sometimes and that's a Risck of pukeing I puked in my moth when they were filling from the pain.

I feel bad for alister hes a nice kid

Can Alistair not go to a dental facility where they can send him to sleep for the procedure? That's what a dentist would arrange here in the UK.

The shot is definitely the worst part.