Teeth Brushing Sensory Style

    I'm not going to lie. My son doesn't brush his teeth every day. At least with toothpaste, that is.

    I know, I know. You're all thinking, "What? Then how is she going to tell us about teeth brushing sensory style?" I'm going to tell you what I learned from my son's pediatric dentist, and his oral hygienist whom happens to have an autistic niece.

Teeth Brushing Sensory Style

    Okay, we all know that dentists recommend we brush our teeth at LEAST twice per day. However, when you have an autistic child with sensory aversions, that isn't always possible. 

    He gags. He vomits. He spits the toothpaste out. It's been years of trying every toothpaste on the market before we found just ONE he could tolerate. But he can only use it at night. In the morning he still vomits.

    Liam's eleven, and he just had his first cavity. After they filled it, they sealed his molars because he grinds his teeth all the time. I was speaking to his hygienist about our brushing struggles. He told me that toothpaste isn't a big deal.

    "As long as you can get him to brush and floss, he will be fine."

    It seems that the brushing and flossing is what gets all that nasty food and plaque off our teeth and from our gums. 

But What Kind of Toothbrush Should They Use?

    This was another expensive trial and error process. The brush can't be too big, or too "brushy." I swear, my kid is like the three bears of tooth brushing! Basically, your kid should use any toothbrush that he or she can tolerate. 

    We have found two types of brushes that he can tolerate. One is by WooBamboo and it's designed for "small dogs." Yes, I let my son use a dog's toothbrush. But hey, the dog has never used it! 

    HE loves it because it's quite small, and the front bristles are longer, and they really get in there and clean well. If he's brushing, I'm not complaining and I don't care what the brush is recommended for. If they made a Yeti brush, and he liked it, I'd buy it! 

    The other type of brush he loves are the cylindrical ones. The bristles actually go all the way around the brush. So it's 360 degrees of bristles! They are really neat, and it even says on the package that they're great for using with or without toothpaste. 

What About Flossing?

    If you're an autism parent, you know the struggle with fine motor skills. My son can not wrap floss around his fingers and get into his mouth. So I buy him those handy dandy floss pics. He can grasp them and getting him to floss isn't a fight. 

    This is what works for us, and you know that everyone is different. Basically, try your best to get your child to brush twice a day. Even if it is without toothpaste.

Do you live around Grove Oklahoma? If so, contact Karl Jobst DDS for your dental needs.
To learn more, check out Karl Jobst.

I Saw You Judging

To the gentleman man at the Sayre, Pa Walmart this evening.

I saw you.

First I saw you in the sporting goods section, boasting to all of your friends that “Not everyone is a real hunter! I’m sick of these fake guys around here. It’s pathetic.”

I shook my head as I walked away. I felt a bit sorry for you.

Why?

Because you seemed so judgmental of people that may not be a “real hunter.”

Because your life must be so mundane that you have nothing better to do, than to put down others for something so trivial.

Because you showed such disdain for someone that you don’t even know.

Not even twenty minutes later we were again exposed to your ignorance.

My family and I were at the end of the video game aisle. You were standing just across from us in the center of the main aisle.

I saw you

A very tall gentleman walked by.

He was dressed head to toe in camo, and had two other guys with him. They were talking a bit loudly, but no louder than everyone else in the store tonight.

Somehow I knew he was the person of whom you were talking about earlier.

I looked straight at you. At which time you made eye contact with me.

The smirk on your face and the shaking of your head said it all.

I normally shy away from eye contact, but I held your gaze.

I saw you attempt to speak to me, which is why I stopped looking you in the eye and instead shook my head. I had a pretty clear idea of what you wanted.

Your wife walked up to you and you loudly exclaimed, “Did you see those guys? Oh my God! People have no shame!”

At this point you probably heard me call you a “judgemental asshole.”

What did that man have to be ashamed of?

For shopping in Walmart, like YOU?

For wearing camo, like YOU?

For looking at stuff in the sporting goods section, like YOU?

For minding his own business and just going about his life? Unlike you.

Do you know who should be shamed?

YOU

For judging someone you don’t even know.

For trying to encourage others to join in on your pig headed ignorance.

For being what is wrong with our country.

Oh, and I saw you at the registers too.

When you were standing again with all of your friends, LOUDLY singing, I Touch Myself by the Divinyls.

And you know what?

The gentleman YOU were judging was right next to me in the checkout lane.

But guess what?

HE DIDN’T JUDGE YOU

He went about his life with his friends and made his purchases.

But I judge you. I normally wouldn't but since you feel it's okay then I wonder how being judged would make you feel.

Would you appreciate being called “a typical, middle aged, overweight, white guy that feels so badly about himself that he has to call out others to make himself feel better?”

I can’t imagine that deep down that would make you feel very good.

When I got into the car I asked my family if they saw you. They did.

My eleven year old son asked why you were being so mean to hunters.

I had to explain to him that just like the kids who bully him, adults do it too, which is where they learn it.

I had to explain to him that people in this world judge us without knowing us.

Now I’m not naive, I know you’ll never read this. My only hope is that someday, you are treated the way you behave.

Maybe then you’ll realize how nasty you are, and how people like you are the very people ruining this country.

Oh, and I hope you don’t have kids. We have enough bullies here.