My son has just started grinding his teeth in the last week or so. What should we do to discourage it. He is 13 months old. I really want to try and get him to start soon so it doesn't become a bad habit. Any suggestions?
My little girl was doing this (she only had 7 teeth!) and we later found out she had an ear infection. The teeth grinding was her only symptom.
Hi C., My daughter did this when she was about that age. It does go away and no bad habit is formed...usually. They realize they have teeth and they just move there mouth around to see how they feel......Don't sweat it too bad and just keep an eye out. If you notice it going on for a long time then talk to your dentist or pediatrician about how to help, but I really think it will stop once the newness of the teeth is over.
T.
Hi C.,
What your son is doing is perfectly normal.If you look at new teeth they have little raised 'lumps' on them,grinding them is natures way of getting their teeth down to what will be their natural 'bite'.
Dont fret it,its a behaviour that will literally stop as soon as it started.
Moving to a new place can be very stressful,but I hope you settle in and make friends with new Moms in your area soon.
Best of luck
The pediatrician said my daughter's teeth grinding (bruxism) at night (she didn't do it while awake) was likely due to allergies. She did have frequent ear infections. At 2 1/2 we took her for allergy testing she had to start getting allergy shots.
