Teeth Grinding - Needham, MA

My daughter had the same issue I spoke with the denstist about her teeth and it was happening because of the position of her teeth. they were not concerned. she actually wore them down so the two baby teeth in front top were so small when they fell out there was almost nothing to pull. but her adult teeth are in better alinement. teeth grinding can also indicate stress. so you may want to talk to you son about some stressor. K.

My son used to grind his teeth also, but the good news is, we just left him alone and he no longer does it anymore. He is now 8 1/2. Sometimes we worry ourselves about things, but if we just leave it alone, it disappears!!!!

Good luck!
S.

Hi I.,

I am a pediatric hygienist and I have been practicing for 25 years. A child grinding their teeth is the number one complaint of parents regarding their children’s teeth. I am asked questions about grinding at least 5 times a day. There has been a lot of research done in this area. The most commonly held reason for grinding of primary teeth is that the permanent teeth are forming, moving and exerting pressure on the primary teeth. Grinding is an unconscious way to relieve this pressure. Your daughter is about to get her first permanent incisors (usually the bottom center teeth between ages 5 and 7) and there is a lot of movement going on right now. I know the sound is awful but it is very uncommon for grinding to do significant damage to the teeth. We never recommend mouth guards to children for two reasons. First, young children are in danger of choking on it in sleep and second, their dentition will be in a constant state of flux from age 5-7 when they lose their first primary tooth until age 11-12 when they lose their twentieth primary tooth. You cannot keep up with the change or you would be making new mouth guards on a weekly basis! Good luck.

J.

Hi I..

Grinding is actually common for kids. Most will do it, their teeth are changing and erupting at this time. No harm will really come of grinding primary teeth. I know it sounds terrible. It during the day hours just remind him not to do it. I am a dental hygienist; have a 1 1/2 year old that also grinds her teeth. It may continue until his bite is "normal", and not offset by so many spaces and erupting teeth! :)

Hi,
I just asked the dentist about my son grinding his teeth in his sleep. He said it was normal, it actualy releases built up pressure in his ears. I know it sounds awful though!!! I guess if it is really excessive you might mention it to your doctor or dentist.

If it seems excessive, I would definitely check with a dentist - long term grinding could definitely cause issues. There is a great dentist in Boston, Dr. Herbert Yolin, who is sort of an alternative dentist and does a lot of work with people who have ground their teeth down or need help with situations like this.

The fisrt thing you should do is bring him to a dentisti they most of the time sugest a mouth gard but seek there advise because it could lead to other things

I.,

Teeth grinding is a common unconscious behavior in children and adults. I have asked the Dentist and Pediatrician. The child may grow out of it. If not a mouth guard will be fitted when their permanent teeth (once all baby teeth are lost) grow in. It is a myth that stress causes it in children. It actually is common in most children for the following reasons. Their teeth do not fit together (top meets bottom) yet because some do not have all their teeth and there is room for their jaws to float. Second there may be extra fluid in the ear canal and sinuses which may cause an uncomfortable pressure and cause the slight pain to result in grinding. The fluid can be allergy related or a result of cold symptoms or just plain old teething. Good luck and not to worry.

Small amount is normal. More means calcium
or magnesium deficiency. Also Homeopathy can
help.
Good luck.

I've heard my son grinding a few times. We just had a dentist appointment so I asked. The dentist said that there is not much to do for a baby-tooth grinder. If it really is a problem then there are all kinds of mouth guards and stuff, but he said wait for adult teeth to go there. Also, his teeth looked fine...

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My son also grinds his teeth and when I talked to our family dentist about it he said there really wasn't anything that we could do except one of those plastic mouth pieces. The dentist said to us that almost all of his young patients grind their teeth and that adults do as well in their sleep and that there really isn't anything to worry about.

I'm not sure there's much you can do, apart from getting him a rubber mouth guard to keep from grinding his teeth at night. From personal experience, I know that grinding teeth during sleep can be a sign of stress.

One other thing to consider is if he has lost any baby teeth and is growing in his adult teeth. Children and babies are notorious for teeth grinding their brand-new teeth, which serves an actual function. The new teeth are razor sharp, and the teeth grinding helps to dull the brand new teeth. I know that babies with new teeth do this, and it makes sense for older children like your son to do the same thing in their sleep with new adult teeth growing in.

I would also talk to your child's dentist.

ETA: I agree that giving a child a mouth guard is NOT a solution, as they can choke. My money is on it being subconscious and to dull new teeth coming in.