Severe gag reflex Dental work becoming a problem

[Tattybyeee]

I wondered if anyone has had any experience of this and if the can offer any resolutions or advice.

My 12 year old has been unable to have xray of his teeth, as he has severe gag reflex when the dentist tries to do it.

He is now complaining of tooth ache and I know they are going to want to do the xrays but he get very upset as he literally starts choking and gets very distressed. They make multiple attempts to do it and put salt in his tongue but nothing they have tried thus far has worked

Grateful for any advice

Why do they put salt on his tongue?!

My ds has macroglossia (large tongue) and complex needs. He had an x-ray which didn't involve anything in the back of the mouth, but gave a very clear picture of his entire mouth (involved standing with chin on a rest, and buying with front teeth on a small plate, then scanned).

Dd2 requires a general anaesthetic for most dental work.

After the 4th attempt they put the salt on his tongue, as some scheme to take his mind off it or something like that. Suffice to say it didn’t work.

He had an X-ray in the hospital for a tooth problem that didn’t require going in the back of his mouth, but the dentist said that X-ray machine will not show detailed pictures of small cavities starting so it’s no good sending him for one.

Did this X-ray your child have happen in the dental surgery or the hospital?

The X-ray your ds had sounds like the one my son had in the hospital that the dentist said was no use. It’s frustrating in this day and age as many people have the gagging problem.

It's quite common for 12 year olds to have gag reflexs to the point they can't have intra oral xrays taken, especially when they get wound up

There are things they can do. A technique where your DS holds the film rather than a holder, or using a smaller film. They might have already tried these

I would try again, when he's a bit calmer. A lot of gagging is quite psychological and so when he's a bit calmer and less panicky he might be able to cope. Distraction techniques can often work

The only other option is an opg, where it spins round the head like he had before. Not ideal, it won't show detail in the way you would like, and its not very good at showing up esrly decay but at the same time if he's having tooth ache it's better than nothing

Dd has a dreadful gag reflex and struggles to be fitted for braces. A numbing throat spray helped.

I also have a very strong gag reflex, and on one occasion when I needed some crown work, the dentist made me a sort of plastic shield thing attached to clips on teeth either side that sat over my tongue to protect it from the sensation of being touched, and from that horrible water spray thing they use. It worked reasonably well.

My DD has a strong gag reflex, medicines were an issue when she was young and she has vomited at the dentist when they took impressions for her braces. She is OK with x-rays and the braces themselves, though.

Breathing slowly and deeply through the nose may help as well.

Hasn't he been referred to a specialist dentist after this problem?
That's what I would have though needs to happen. A community one that specialises in treating people who have problems at the dentist whether that's due to nervousness or special needs or your child's problem

If it's just a gag when taking xrays or impressions this is perfectly normal and doesn't need a specialist referal

There's nothing to say he can't be managed in general practice, it's just about working round the x-ray issue

Thank you all for your input.

They do not seem to be able to work around the X-ray issue unfortunately.
He refuses to have the xrays done now and I do not want him to not want to go to the dentist at all, if I force him to let them keep trying.

I could ask them about a plastic shield and numbing spray.

My ds had a panoramic x-ray.

I'm not sure of the detail, but they used this method because it is very difficult to do a standard x-ray and because they needed to look at his whole mouth and see if adult teeth were in place etc.

I have the same problem and because they coudn't get the neccessary X-rays from me (adult with no special needs just a very very active gag reflex).
There is a spray for numbing the gag reflex, when they need to put a pipe down your throat for stomach exams etc. My dentist got it in and it worked. Perhaps this is worth a try?

An OPT would be better than nothing in this situation, especially if your son has toothache.
It's unlikely a small cavity would cause toothache, so an OPT is definitely the way forward.
Is your son dentally anxious or just anxious re gagging with intra-oral radiographs?
Putting salt on the tongue as a distraction is absolutely not mainstream btw

Prokupat , I’m sorry to hear you have that too, my son finds the choking really distressing and I know people who have had stomach exams be really upset afterwards. That is a great tip I’m definitely going to do my research on that.

Thanks so much again to all who’ve replied.

Dd found the round the jaw xray possible, and then they used that for initial assessment, and then did a proper one when she was sedated for the treatment.

This is probably not going to help the extremeness of your son’s case but if you make a fist with your thumb inside and squeeze down on your thumb then that’s supposed to stop the gag reflex.