My 7 year old son has to be put under to have any work done.  At the last conference there was a dentist who spoke.  You should be able to look at the conference report to read his presentation.  I e-mailed him when my son Josh was having work and he replied and even gave me his number to give to the doctors/dentist that would be doing everything so they could call him and ask questions.  Not a lot of doc/dentists have ever heard of Fragile X.  Josh can't handle anyone in his face like a dentist has to be and will protest by hitting because he will stop talking.  Our issue was finding a dentist that would take Medicaid and a special needs child that had to be put under.  Then we had to deal with getting signed up because they would only accept new patients every few months and it was a first come first serve up to so many.  But, we have a great dentist now.  There are a couple of things I would change though the next time he has to go under.  I will opt not to give him the "sleepy" medicine because I felt it affected in ability to come out of the anesthesia and I would have them take the IV out before he woke up.  Josh stayed confused for about 1 1/2 hours after waking up and that was not a good experience.  The poor baby was hitting, trying to bite, get up, cry and then couldn't even hold himself up.  It was hard.  My dad was with me since my husband with home with sick kids.  He couldn't really help me because of his physical limitations.  But, it will be a couple years before he goes under again.  I am the one that has to wiggle baby teeth and the wrap him in a blanket to pull them out!  I try to make a game of it and sing a made up song.  Then, we put the tooth under the pillow and look for the tooth fairy.  She comes early since he would not really get the concept of the next morning. 

Barbara...that makes so much sense!!!!!!!!!!   That explains why the counting works with my kids....I count, but I thought they were somewhat fearing a consquence at the end of the counting and that's why they followed through......but there is no consequence, just a guided follow-through....never has been more than that....they just know that they are expected to follow through independently at some point before I say five!!!  Huh!!!!    And I know about the kids needing to understand that concept of time, because I've heard stories, for example, of one child who would bang the table and when asked to stop, would stop, but start again....until one day his grandmother was so exasperated she said, please don't bang the table ever again....and the boy never did.....and it dawned on me that I needed to qualify time with all my instructions to my oldest daughter in this same way....it's bit me in the butt a couple of times, as the word "never" usually does....but generally it works......so thank you for helping me put 2 and 2 together, lol .....now I can use my counting in a much more useful way and with more situations.....