HIS TEETH...

There are some things about having a disabled child that are out of your control. Lot's of things actually, but some that really tug at your heart strings. One of the things that Ben does is bite his cheek. I'm sure everyone has done this now and again, I know I have. It hurts...a LOT. Ben was doing this often enough that we ended up taking some of his back teeth out. It helped for a little while...but more have grown in. The oral surgeon at Dartmouth performed his surgery about 2 years ago. Recently I called him back because I wanted to talk to him again about what we could do to help Ben. Basically he had his nurse call me and tell me that "there is nothing more that I can do for your son." HUH? What is THAT supposed to mean? Last night was the final straw. I was holding Ben on my chest and out of the blue he started crying. Stevie and I were rubbing his head, trying to figure out what was wrong. I had this impression to look in his mouth and that's when I saw it. His back teeth were clamped down on his cheek - he couldn't let go. No matter HOW painful it is, he won't let go...it's a reflex. When something gets between his teeth whether it's a toothbrush, a finger or his own cheek, his jaw clamps down. We spent nearly a whole minute trying to get him to stop biting. Broke my heart. We finally got him to unclench and I moved his cheek out of the way. I put a call into his PCP to see what we can do about this. In the meantime, I'm praying that his cheek heals quickly because right now it's purple and swollen.