Struggling with Dentist Visits as an Autistic Person

Some people bring comfort objects or sensory equipment. I've heard of level 2 and 3 autistic kids being sedated for appointments but I don't know if they'll do that for everyone. I don't know because the last dentist I saw kicked me out for writhing too much

Definitely don’t do this but I haven’t been to the dentist in over a year

Hating the dentist is a good enough reason to take really good care of your teeth. The more you do that, the less time you need to spend with the dentist. And when you do have to go, like twice a year minimum, just remember that it'll all be over soon!

I just have to do what I can to limit sensory input, like wearing headphone or earbuds and keeping my eyes such when they are close to me. It doesn't help that I'm allergic to anaesthetic and have to have it modified, causing stress to me and the dentists!

Im pretty lucky, my dentist guy gives me diazepam, not all the time but if i needing something doing he does, other then that i hate going my self. But if have to go i always go with my wife.

Personally I find mentally preparing yourself for it is good. Reminding yourself a day prior, I'm gonna go it's not going to be pleasant but gonna get through it and it's only however long. I find sometimes getting the dentist to count down the seconds of whatevers she's doing is helpful so 10, 9, 8, etc of drilling or whatever. I fix my eye focus on a bit of the ceiling. Keep breathing. Take breaks. Ask if they can just use the manual tooth picks rather than water when doing a hygiene appointment. Sunglasses, see if they can turn off ceiling lights. See if they can keep the door open so the space doesn't feel too small and overwhelming. Ask if they only have necessary staff in the room, sometimes they have extra nurses or students that aren't super required.

Mt dentist noted that I have extreme anxiety, so most of the staff are good. I don't like that the dentist herself doesn't talk, but at least she's focused, I guess. I hate the lights, the noise, every bit of it, including past bad experiences. Now I need dentures and am NOT looking forward to it. One LOVELY thing that a FEW dentists are doing now is offering Mega Quest while you're there. If you can afford to buy one, bring the headset and the controls, so that way you can focus on that while she works on you. This way there's no bright light, etc. If I could afford it, that's what I'd do.

I can say that limiting the sensory input makes it slightly more bearable. For example, they give me sunglasses so the light isn't in my eyes & I wear my loop earplugs so the noise is limited. Still, with these things, it's awful. Sorry that I can't say more.

I really would love to give you some advice, but it's one of the most painful experiences for me, too. I can't remember the last time I went and didn't spiral into a meltdown on the way home because of sensory exhaustion.

I don't know too much about the specifics or if this also applies to dentists but my mom is a dental hygienist and if she knows her patient is autistic she'll take note of that. I don't know if there's any methods to decrease the sensory feelings but it might be worth looking into that. Definitely try to make other things less overwhelming (like you said sunglasses or fidgets, you could also use headphones). Maybe look up grounding techniques to distract yourself? I know it's hard but not going as often as you should will probably make the experience even worse in the future since you'll at least have more tartar. Try to brush and floss twice a day to remove plaque before it hardens, but even just a little is better than nothing. I hope you find some techniques that work for you :]