The next steps

So during our first complex care visit we mentioned that we had some concerns about his teeth. Dentist appointments have always been a nightmare and he was well overdue for a visit. They understood our concerns and referred us to a dentist that works with as a partner with the University of Washington in dentistry and only sees kids on the autism spectrum on one certain day of the week.

We had the appointment last Monday and just like last year tested our health insurance, this year our dental insurance will be tested. Turns out he has cavities in his top front 2 teeth and some of his back teeth. He has a chipped tooth and an abscess on his gums.

Once again you think all of this would have hurt and he would have shown us that something was wrong, but he didn't. He never acted painful. A while back when we were dealing with the onset of learning about him having hydrocephalus I said that I just wish he could have shown or told us he was in pain. Once again I just wish for a little bit of that communication. Because of his high pain tolerance and inability to tell us something is wrong we are left in a bad place. We can never be sure he's ok. We never know if something is wrong or hurting. As a parent this is something that hits both of us pretty hard. We are still hopeful that one day things will change but for now this is just the way it is.

So now we wait for a call from the scheduling department for oral surgery. This is going to be another major surgery for him at Seattle Children's but should just be out patient. The amount of work they need to do is staggering, but we know its for the best. Once this is taken care of we can start trying to get him back on track with his dental needs and start getting him used to the dentist again.