How to stop my child from grinding his teeth

Teeth Grinding (Bruxism): Causes and Treatments

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Medically Reviewed by Evan Frisbee, DMD on July 29, 2021

Why Do People Grind Their Teeth?

Although teeth grinding can be caused by stress and anxiety, it often occurs during sleep and is more likely caused by an abnormal bite or missing or crooked teeth. It can also be caused by a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea.

How Do I Find Out if I Grind My Teeth?

Because grinding often occurs during sleep, most people are unaware that they grind their teeth. However, a dull, constant headache or sore jaw when you wake up is a telltale symptom of bruxism. Many times people learn that they grind their teeth by their loved one who hears the grinding at night.

If you suspect you may be grinding your teeth, talk to your dentist. They can examine your mouth and jaw for signs of bruxism, such as jaw tenderness and excessive wear on your teeth.

Why Is Teeth Grinding Harmful?

In some cases, chronic teeth grinding can result in a fracturing, loosening, or loss of teeth. The chronic grinding may wear teeth down to stumps. When these events happen, bridges, crowns, root canals, implants, partial dentures, and even complete dentures may be needed.

Not only can severe grinding damage teeth and result in tooth loss, it can also affect your jaws, cause or worsen TMD/TMJ, and even change the appearance of your face.

What Can I Do to Stop Grinding My Teeth?

Your dentist can fit you with a mouth guard to protect your teeth from grinding during sleep. Learn more: Can a night guard straighten your teeth?

If stress is causing you to grind your teeth, ask your doctor or dentist about options to reduce your stress. Attending stress counseling, starting an exercise program, seeing a physical therapist, or obtaining a prescription for muscle relaxants are among some of the options that may be offered.

If a sleeping disorder is causing the grinding, treating it may reduce or eliminate the grinding habit.

Other tips to help you stop teeth grinding include:

Avoid or cut back on foods and drinks that contain caffeine, such as colas, chocolate, and coffee.
Avoid alcohol. Grinding tends to intensify after alcohol consumption.
Do not chew on pencils or pens or anything that is not food. Avoid chewing gum as it allows your jaw muscles to get more used to clenching and makes you more likely to grind your teeth.
Train yourself not to clench or grind your teeth. If you notice that you clench or grind during the day, position the tip of your tongue between your teeth. This practice trains your jaw muscles to relax.
Relax your jaw muscles at night by holding a warm washcloth against your cheek in front of your earlobe.

Do Children Grind Their Teeth?

The problem of teeth grinding is not limited to adults. Approximately 15% to 33% of children grind their teeth. Children who grind their teeth tend to do so at two peak times -- when their baby teeth emerge and when their permanent teeth come in. Most children lose the teeth grinding habit after these two sets of teeth have come in more fully.

Most commonly, children grind their teeth during sleep rather than during waking hours. No one knows exactly why children grind their teeth but considerations include improperly aligned teeth or irregular contact between upper and lower teeth, illnesses and other medical conditions (such as nutritional deficiencies, pinworm, allergies, endocrine disorders), and psychological factors including anxiety and stress.

Grinding of the baby teeth rarely results in problems. However, teeth grinding can cause jaw pain, headaches, wear on the teeth, and TMD. Consult your dentist if your child's teeth look worn or if your child complains of tooth sensitivity or pain.

Specific tips to help a child stop grinding their teeth include:

No intervention is usually required with preschool-age children. However, older children may need temporary crowns or other methods, such as a night guard, to prevent the grinding.

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Bruxism (Teeth Grinding or Clenching) (for Parents)

What Is Bruxism?

Bruxism is the medical term for grinding the teeth or clenching the jaw. Many kids have it, but most outgrow it without lasting problems.

What Causes Bruxism?

Kids might grind their teeth for a few reasons, including:

teeth that aren’t aligned properly
pain, such as from an earache or teething
stress; for instance, from worry about a test or a change in routine. Even arguing with parents and siblings can cause enough stress to prompt teeth grinding or jaw clenching.
medical reasons, like hyperactivity, cerebral palsy, or some types of medicines

What Problems Can Happen?

Many times bruxism (BRUKS-iz-em) isn’t noticed and doesn’t cause problems. Often, it's more bothersome to other family members because of the grinding sound.

But sometimes it can cause:

headaches
worn down tooth enamel or chipped teeth
sensitive teeth
face, ear, or jaw pain

How Is Bruxism Diagnosed?

Many kids who grind their teeth don’t know they do. Often, siblings or parents are the ones who notice the problem.

Some signs to watch for:

grinding noises when your child is sleeping
complaints of a sore jaw or face after waking up in the morning
pain with chewing

If you think your child grinds their teeth, visit the dentist, who will check the teeth for chipped enamel and unusual wear and tear, and spray air and water on them to check for sensitivity.

If the teeth are damaged, the dentist may ask a few questions to look what’s causing the grinding, such as misaligned teeth or stress.

How Is Bruxism Treated?

If teeth-grinding and clenching make a child's face and jaw sore or damage the teeth, dentists may prescribe a special night guard. Molded to a child's teeth, the night guard is similar to the mouthpieces athletes wear to protect their teeth. A night guard can take some getting used to, but it usually helps quickly.

How Can Parents Help?

Whatever the cause of bruxism, help kids relax before bedtime — they might take a warm bath or shower, listen to a few minutes of soothing music, or read a book.

For bruxism from stress, ask about what's upsetting your child and find a way to help. For example, a kid who worries about being away from home for a first camping trip might need reassurance that mom or dad will be nearby if needed.

If the issue is more complicated, such as moving to a new town, talk to your child about it and try to ease any fears. If you're concerned, talk to your doctor.

In rare cases, basic stress relievers aren't enough to stop bruxism. If your child can’t sleep or acts differently than usual, work with your dentist or doctor to find the cause of the stress and make a plan to help.

Most kids outgrow bruxism when they lose their baby teeth. In the meantime, routine dental visits can help find and treat bruxism.

Reviewed by: Melanie L. Pitone, MD

Date reviewed: January 2021

Why a child grinds his teeth - what to do if a small child grinds his teeth in a dream

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Why does the child grind his teeth?

Grinding of teeth in a dream appears in every third child. The problem is faced more often by parents of boys. Night creaking scares and forces you to do the wrong things. Someone listens to the advice that nothing needs to be done, while others self-medicate diseases that the child does not have. Both approaches are wrong, you need to act according to the situation.

Causes of teeth grinding in a child

In medicine, the condition when a child grinds his teeth is called bruxism. The first symptoms appear in infants during teething, but then they gradually fade away. Signs of bruxism can appear during kindergarten age and after the transition to school. But by the age of 6-7, the majority of involuntary grinding of teeth disappears.

Inexperienced parents associate the appearance of unpleasant sounds with worms. But studies show that the presence of helminths does not affect the appearance of creaking. Why some people associate these two states with each other is unknown. Perhaps the reproduction of worms that are able to migrate through the oropharynx, or the nighttime itching of the anal area caused by crawling females, is to blame.

The cause of grinding teeth must be sought elsewhere. In an infant, this is associated with teething. More often the problem manifests itself in the eighth month and later, when several teeth appeared on the upper and lower jaws. The baby has an immature nervous system, and the milk incisors irritate the nerve fibers adjacent to them - salivation intensifies, and the jaw muscles spasm. But creaking in babies is unexpressed and lasts a few seconds. Some experts believe that the problem appears due to a strong pain impulse.

Children of one year of age and older grind their teeth for another reason:

Incorrect bite - when the jaw is formed incorrectly, the position of the teeth is disturbed, the load on the muscles is redistributed, so creaking may occur at night and during the day.
Heredity - parents may have a tendency to bruxism and periodically grind their teeth, so this symptom will also appear in the child.
Calcium deficiency - can occur in a one-year-old child and at an older age. Calcium is necessary for muscle contractions, its lack causes spasm. Sometimes this is a local convulsive tension of the muscles of the jaws.
Nervous overexertion - such a cause of bruxism is typical for preschoolers and younger schoolchildren. Computer games, traumatic situations, watching TV before going to bed, and even the first trip to the garden or school have an irritating effect.
Dental causes - improperly made fillings that rise above the crown of the tooth and do not allow the jaw to close, as well as pathology of periodontal tissues or the temporomandibular joint.

Children with some pathologies of the nervous system can grind their teeth during the day. Sometimes this is the first sign of a special form of epilepsy, which manifests itself in the form of a local short-term muscle spasm, and not convulsions throughout the body.

A baby can grind his teeth if his jaws are growing fast but they don't have enough load. Therefore, from 4-5 months they are given to gnaw smooth hard teethers, vegetables and fruits.

Grinding of teeth treatment

If a baby grinds his teeth while sleeping, special treatment is not always needed. If a symptom of a tremor of the lower jaw appeared in a one-month-old baby, this is an alarming sign. mother should pay attention to how the baby takes the breast, at what time the jaw spasm or chin trembling appears. A consultation with a neurologist is required. It is possible that during pregnancy or childbirth the baby suffered a brain injury or suffered from hypoxia.

When a 7-8 month old baby starts to creak, the pediatrician may recommend an easy teething gel, such as Dentinox. Experienced mothers purchase cooling silicone teethers in advance, about which the baby scratches the gums.

If the analgesic effect of the cooling tooth gel is insufficient, give the child paracetamol or ibuprofen syrup. They relieve inflammation from the gums, eliminate pain and swelling.

In autumn and winter, a 4-5 month old baby experiences calcium deficiency. At this time of the year, the number of sunny days decreases, and the need for the mineral increases. Calcium is absorbed from milk if there is enough vitamin D in the intestines. It is produced under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. With a lack of sunlight, the vitamin is small, so it is necessary to take it in the form of an aqueous solution of drops. Vitamin D will not harm both a one-year-old baby and schoolchildren in the winter season. The dosage of the drug is selected by the pediatrician individually, so as not to cause a state of hypervitaminosis, which is dangerous for the kidneys.

Treatment of creaking, which often appears after overexertion, stress, is carried out with sedatives. For children, the doctor may prescribe herbal sedatives or herbal teas with mint, valerian, motherwort, and other combinations.

If the pediatrician cannot determine why the child continues to grind his teeth, a dental examination is necessary. The doctor grinds off protruding fillings, checks the function of the temporomandibular joint. In case of periodontal inflammation, caries, a special treatment will be prescribed. Incorrect bite is a reason to go to the orthodontist. He will pick up a mouthguard to protect the enamel of the teeth from abrasion. If the bite is defective, you will need to use braces or a corrective plate, which is removed at night.

In case of repeated squeaking, the appearance of convulsive contractions in other muscle groups, they are examined by a neurologist. The result of an electroencephalogram may indicate a mild form of epilepsy. For treatment, the doctor will prescribe anticonvulsant drugs. They will help reduce the frequency and severity of seizures. If you refuse therapy, this phenomenon will occur more often and more severely.

Prevention

Bruxism at an early age is preventable. Parents are advised to reconsider the daily routine. The last meal should be no later than 2 hours before bedtime. From 4-5 months old, babies can be given an apple or carrot to chew on in the evening so that their muscles are tired and do not shrink outward.

During the day, parents control that the child does not make arbitrary movements with his jaws, does not creak them, expressing negative emotions. Watching TV and staying at a computer monitor or phone is limited to 2 hours a day. Before going to bed, it is advisable to completely abandon such entertainment and take time for calm board games, a walk in the fresh air or reading books. In the evening, try to maintain a positive emotional mood to ensure a restful sleep.

Pediatricians recommend taking small doses of vitamin D from October to March to prevent calcium deficiency. Therefore, schoolchildren can switch to calcium complexes with vitamin D or multivitamins, for example, Evalar baby.

Dentist visits and proper oral care can be taught from early childhood. This helps reduce the risk of bruxism due to periodontitis or fillings.

The child grinds his teeth in his sleep

Teeth grinding (bruxism) is a common problem in children that causes concern to parents. This phenomenon does not apply to diseases. This is a symptom that signals various failures in the endocrine, digestive and nervous systems of the child's body. Here it is necessary to pay attention to other changes in the behavior of the child. The exact cause can only be established by a doctor after a thorough examination.

In the article we will try to find out why a child can grind his teeth, how dangerous it is, and what to do in this case.

What is bruxism and its manifestations

Bruxism is a pathological condition that occurs due to excessive compression of the jaws.

Under the age of 5 years, grinding of the teeth is observed in almost 50% of children. This happens involuntarily, and is associated with a spasm of the masticatory muscles. Usually, the pathology occurs at night, paroxysmal for 10-15 seconds. Attacks can be repeated in the daytime. At the same time, daily grinding of teeth gives parents more anxiety, as it is more noticeable.

Help! Sporadic cases of teeth grinding are not dangerous and do not require intervention. If the attacks become chronic, the help of a pediatrician is needed.

In addition to squeaking teeth, the following manifestations of pathology are possible in a child:

headache;
daytime sleepiness, lethargy;
pain in the neck;
tearfulness;
tooth sensitivity - the result of their abrasion and damage to the enamel;
restless sleep with frequent awakenings;
ear congestion.

Dentists identify a triad of symptoms in childhood bruxism (up to 5 years). This is erosive abrasion of milk teeth, malocclusion and narrowing of the dental arches. Teeth grinding usually goes away on its own when the child reaches puberty. In adolescents and young people, grinding their teeth is a rare occurrence.

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Causes of teeth grinding in sleep

Until the end, the exact causes of pathological grinding of teeth have not been clarified. In most cases, seizures occur at night, so sleep disturbances are a common cause. In children, this is associated with hypertrophy of the tonsils and adenoids, which makes nasal breathing difficult and leads to apnea (suspension of breathing during sleep). Obesity is also a contributing factor.

Other possible reasons why a child may grind their teeth include:

Incorrect deep bite.
Individual characteristics of the inclination of the lower jaw.
Nervous tension, emotional overexcitation.
hereditary predisposition.
Neurological or endocrine disorders.
Teething.

Causes and manifestations may vary depending on what time of day bruxism occurs.

Night grinding of teeth

If during sleep you notice several seizures, and at the same time the child behaves restlessly (breathing becomes more frequent, pupils actively move, talks), then the reason is emotional overexcitation. More often this manifests itself in emotionally sensitive children, overly active or with hyperexcitability syndrome.

Stress can also provoke night bruxism - moving to a new apartment, entering a kindergarten, divorce of parents or frequent scandals at home. In the daytime, the child tries not to show his emotions and tension accumulates, and at night it “splashes out” through clenching of the jaws and grinding of teeth.

In some cases, an ordinary seal, which was installed incorrectly, can become a provocateur. It can interfere with the tight closure of the jaw, and the child is too small to tell about it. Difficulty in nasal breathing and snoring in a child's sleep is a sign of problems with the adenoids. In this case, you need to consult an ENT doctor.

Daytime grinding of teeth

During the day, a spasm of the masticatory muscles in a baby may occur due to teething. It is also possible to form a malocclusion, which leads to discomfort and clenching of the jaws. In these situations, you need to show the child to the dentist.

During a stressful situation, involuntary grinding of teeth is possible. Observe when the child has this phenomenon during the day, what precedes it. With frequent attacks, it is recommended to consult a child psychologist or neurologist. Digestive and endocrine problems can also cause daytime bruxism.

What about worms?

There is a common belief that grinding teeth can be a sign of a parasitic disease. This is due to the fact that preschool children often suffer from helminths. And it is for this age that creaking of teeth is characteristic. Also, this assumption was explained by the fact that when infected with helminths, salivation increases. This provokes the compression of the jaws, which leads to the grinding of the teeth. But according to research experts, this is just a coincidence. A direct relationship between the presence of worms in a child and bruxism has not been identified.

Is bruxism dangerous and what are the consequences

Bruxism does not lead to serious health problems, and even more so does not threaten the development and life of the child. Most of all, parents are worried about this phenomenon, and they begin a hospital quest in search of the cause. As a rule, the child grows out of this problem without the participation of a doctor, if it is not chronic. This is due to the development of the chewing apparatus, the elimination of problems with adenoids and the normalization of sleep.

If the grinding of the teeth is repeated often for several months, then a doctor's consultation is necessary. Otherwise, bruxism can lead to the following consequences:

thinning of tooth enamel and increased sensitivity of teeth;
problems with fillings, they will crumble and crack;
malocclusion;
loosening of milk teeth;
headaches and decreased concentration;
overload of the maxillofacial joint;
spasm of the facial muscles.

Excessive tooth wear increases the risk of bruxism during adolescence and adolescence. Also, a strong uncontrolled spasm of the jaws can lead to dislocation of the temporomandibular joint.

What to do if a child grinds his teeth in his sleep

Pay attention to when attacks most often occur - during the day, at night, at home or in a public place. Also record other violations in the child's behavior and his health complaints. Seek advice from a pediatrician, pediatric dentist. Pass the necessary tests and go through the examinations prescribed by the doctor.

The following tips will also help to cope with bruxism:

Adjust the psychological climate at home. Try not to swear with loved ones in front of the child, talk to the baby more often and ask him to talk about his feelings, fears.
Do not load your child with various early development circles.
Organize the right daily routine with obligatory daytime sleep. The nervous system of the child needs a break during the day, even if he himself looks active and does not want to sleep. Take a relaxing bath 1-2 hours before bed and read a book. Active games should be prohibited.
Review your diet. Add solid vegetables to the menu to provide a load on the chewing muscles.

If the baby often catches a cold, suffers from a chronic runny nose or nasal congestion, then you need to check the adenoids. With a syndrome of hyperactivity and emotional excitability of a child, it is recommended to visit a psychologist or neurologist.

Treatment and prevention of teeth grinding during sleep

There is no specific treatment for bruxism, since this pathology is not an independent disease. The main task of the doctor is to identify the cause of the pathology. This will depend on the treatment plan. To eliminate the grinding of teeth, drug therapy, physiotherapy, correction of the emotional state and dental methods are used, for example, the installation of protective caps on the teeth.

The main methods of therapy:

Normalization of sleep with the help of sedatives.
Taking vitamins of group B, preparations with magnesium and calcium.
Treatment of adenoids.
Psychological correction - art therapy, music therapy, sandbox. Working with parents in the presence of intra-family conflicts.

To relieve muscle tension, you can use coniferous baths, massage and exercises in the pool.

The dentist helps to protect the teeth from abrasion by installing a special protective cap. It is made of soft material, so it does not cause discomfort. It can only be worn at night. The most optimal is the manufacture of caps on an individual cast. But you can also buy ready-made ones. This method is only suitable for students.

Also, in the presence of damage to the enamel and sensitivity, fluoridation and remineralization of the teeth are carried out. If necessary, caries is treated.

An orthodontist can help correct your bite. For this, plates, bracket systems are used. Orthodontic design is selected individually, based on the severity of the problem and the age of the child. Incorrect bite is easy to correct when the jaws have not yet fully formed. Therefore, the sooner you visit a pediatric orthodontist, the better the result will be.