Autism and wisdom teeth removal
It’s always something. Right now, it’s Lucas’ wisdom teeth.
His dentist says they’ll need to come out, since the bottom ones are coming in crooked, and the top ones don’t have enough room anyway.
So I called the oral surgeon Lucas’ dentist recommended, and explained about Lucas and his autism. I told them that we were looking for someone who was familiar with autistic people. I told them that we wanted a surgeon who would work with us AFTER the surgery, when Lucas had stitches, holes, soreness, etc. in his mouth that needed to heal.
Well, of course I was told that this surgeon deals with all kinds of disabilities, and would work with us to ensure that Lucas got what he needed. Great! I made the appointment.
The appointment was yesterday, and upon arrival at the surgeon’s office, we were given a booklet explaining all about having wisdom teeth out. It talked about not eating or drinking anything after midnight the day before the surgery if the patient was having general anesthesia, which Lucas’ dentist and we felt would be best.
It also talked about pain and swelling after the procedure, and about what NOT to eat until the incisions had healed.
They took a lovely “panoramic x-ray” of Lucas’ mouth, and then led us back to the exam room. The oral surgeon came in and told us what he would do. He also said that he doesn’t operate until after 1:00 in the afternoon, and that Lucas would be treated just like all his other patients after the surgery.
So basically, we’re supposed to keep Lucas out of the fridge, the sink and all the food for about 13 hours before the surgery, and after it’s over, there will be no thought given to an autistic kid doing his best to (pick one or more):
- Pull out the stitches in his mouth.
- Eat things he shouldn’t.
- Beat himself up trying to make his swollen face look normal, etc.
Needless to say, once again I feel taken advantage of by the medical profession. I don’t mind if they just say, “No, we’re actually clueless about autism!” But now we’re out money, and will be paying our own way to take him somewhere else (and who knows if the next place will be any better!)
I made an appointment with another oral surgeon up north for February 12 (which insurance won’t cover because they’ve already covered yesterday’s appointment.) We’ll see how that one goes.