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[quote=Anonymous]All,

We have a seven year old child who has been diagnosed with PANDAS (he has had every symptom, text book case, and responds well to antibiotic therapy). He is doing reasonably well, but he has developed (or begun to display more prominantly, as he's aged, i don't really know which) EXTREME sensory defensiveness. We have done some behavioral therapy for him but have never had a diagnosis beyond the PANDAS. He's bright and does well in school. He's a little bit rigid in how he plays, but he's an engaging kid with good eye contact and good conversation skills, lots of friends, and an ability to be reasonable, empathetic, and courteous. I mention all this almost as an aside, but beyond or perhaps due to the PANDAS, he has high anxiety and The sensory defensiveness may or may not be related to PANDAS or simply an underlying issue that is much more pronounced now that he's older. Either way, we are going to be pursuing some additional support for him and have just begun to go down that track.

In the meantime, we have an immediate problem and i'm seeking advice. His sensory defensiveness makes it tricky to get him medical care. He's gotten much better about the doctor, and while he's still inordinately afraid of the doctor, he is able to deal with his fears and do what he needs to do and is cooperative. However, the dentist is just impossible. Despite careful brushing and limiting sweets, he developed some cavities and when it came down to allowing the dentist to do anything, he would not even submit to the X-rays. He is genuinely terrified, cowering in fear in the corner of the room. It was an abnormal fear response -- i knew it and the dentist we saw said it bluntly, too. Ultimately, he had several cavities and we had him sedated with ketamine (a shot) and they did all of the work. We LOVED that dental group, but they are oral surgeons, not dentists. Now, he has another cavity (likely, it was there all along, and they missed it) that needs to be taken care of. The problem is, DS is just not going to cooperate. Our pediatric dentist, who we like a lot, suggested that we go to either a place in Silver Spring or to Children's. Neither place, so far, has inspired any confidence. Both feel like a factory, and they weren't even able to answer basic questions about the different types of sedation they might offer - they just said we had to come in with him. Well, going in terrifies him. We want to get a reasonable amount of info on teh phone so that we can find a place, then go in and know what they can do.

I don't want to go all the way under with him, (GA) for a cavity. So i guess, does anyone have a beloved dentist who can handle extreme sensory issues? Anyone know of a good dentist who can help with extreme anxiety and do routine work with some sedation? I was terrified to do the ketamine until my son had it done, and it was simple, straightforward, and the recovery was very easy. Since i know how he does with it, that's my preferred route again.

Hoping for some advice on this short term request as we seek some long-term supports to help this highly sensitive kiddo...

Thanks.  [/quote]

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