Teeth Grinder

Kathleen,
I spoke with my pediatrician and dentist. This is common for children around 4-5 because their adult teeth are getting ready. The kids grind their teeth only at night because it makes them feel better. The name of it is called Bruxism. Massaging the cheeks is one of the things that will relieve the clenching and grinding. My 5 yr old son does the same thing.

My son, up until about 6 years (10 now) was a teeth grinder. The dentist suggested a mouth guard but, luckily,it stopped one day. When I would catch my son doing it, I would do the same thing - gently touch or shake his cheek. Make sure she's going to the dentist regularly so that he can monitor her teeth and give you guidance. Just keep doing what your doing. It sounds like you're addressing it when you can.

I was an awful teeth grinder when I was little and became a teeth clencher as an adult. What I ended up finding out, not till I was out of highschool, I have neck issues. Turns out that my neck doesn't curve the way it's soppose to. It kind of stays straight. Could have resulted from smacking my forehead on something when I was little. This puts more pressure on my jaw to stay closed instead of the normal relaxed position of slightly open. A chiropractor was able to help for a while by adjusting me regularly. It may be even more beneficial if your younger. for years I got terrible headaches, it affects my neck and shoulders, sinus headaches, not to mention bad teeth. It may be something to look into. Hope this helps

My 4 yr old is also a teeth grinder and has been for about a year, at least that is when I really noticed it. It is every night and it is so loud that it will keep me and my husband awake if we need to share a room with our son when traveling or something. It seem like most people think a mouth guard should be worn if you find out a way to help prevent it from ocurring please let me know too. I would hate to think that this could be causing discomfort for him, like headaches.

Hello there,
I am a fellow teeth grinder. I wish I knew a way to stop, however best solution was to get a mouth piece. It reduced wear and tear on the teeth and soreness of jaw.

Please let me know if someone has a solution.

thank you,

I'm also a tooth grinder & always have been. Now-a-days, most people are. I chew through a night appliance yearly.
Unfortunately, it's a stress related disorder... maybe try Mommy & Me Yoga to treat the cause. I would definately let the dentist fit her for a night guard though or this can ruin her teeth as an adult & will cause killer headaches. The purpose of the guard is to retrain the face & neck muscles & break the habit, if it's turned into one. Look up & read about Bruxism. The information should be helpful to you and your little girl.
Good luck!

Take her to the dentist. They can make a frame for her mouth so she can't do damage to their own teeth. She may just stop on her own after having that thing in her mouth a couple of weeks.

Both of my girls have done that. My oldest ended up with a mouth guard to protect her teeth. My littlest, we have done nothing yet, but watch her. I did notice, it is relative to the stress in their day or activity. You may want to take her to the dentist and just have her checked. If she is a constant grinder, he may have some suggestions for you. For my little one, we have tried a slower,easier bed time routine and that seems to be helping. We will continue to monitor her. I am told that a lot of kids carry their stress in their jaws and thus the grinding.

As an adult tooth grinder....really the only thing you can do is get a custom mouth guard from the dentist.

Hello Kathleen,

My 5 1/2 year old son is an aweful teeth grinder. He can easlily keep me and my husband up. Unfortunately I am also a teeth grinder but not as bad. We actually took him to the dentist and doctor and both of them said that he needs to have his tonsils and aednoids removed. They said that sleep apnea and grinding teeth go hand in hand. We actually have an appointment this Wednesday with an ears, nose and throat doctor to schedule surgery. This should take care of all of his ear aches, strep throat, grinding teeth, sleep apnea and his eating habbits. He has not been eating his lunch at school for the last 6 weeks and they think having the surgery should take care of that problem as well. I would talk to your dentist and doctor about the teeth grinding. If your son changes positions constantly during the night, then he probably has both as well. They do not actually go into REM sleep and stops breathing for a second because of his tonsils, then his brain tells him to wake up to start breathing again. Thats what causes him to grind his teeth and change position. It won't hurt to ask the doctor.

Does she have sleep apena? Teeth grinding can be a symptom of that. It is also a symptom of TMJ. A dentist can fit her with a mouth device that will prevent the grinding. I would also find out about other medical conditions.

My son does it.

My son is now 5 1/2 he went thru weeks and months of teeth grinding at the same age, it drove us crazy! I asked his dentist and she said there is nothing to worry about...it is common and normal and his teeth are smoother than adult teeth and there is no need to worry about any dammage to his teeth. He has not done it in a long time. Hopefully you'r daughter will grow out of it, if not visit the dentist. Best wishes!!!

See your dentist, they will make a teeth guard, almost looks like a retainer for her to wear at night. This will prevent the teeth from grinding together. She does not know she doing it and she may continue to do this into adult life. my husband still does it.

S.

Hello, I have to say I'm pretty sure it's normal. She might be doing this because of a growth spurt. As you know, as soon as they get teeth they do the same thing. It may also be that shes dreaming or a tooth may hurt.I work in the dental field. We actually consider this somewhat normal. She may possibly grow out of it. In adults it's caused by stress, tooth pain, and lack of B-6 and B-12 vit. [mostly women]. Does she do it every night? Does it wake you up? or her? In the office we make whats called a night guard a plastic piece you wear when you grind [usually at night]upper or lower. It's not common to make them for children. I would monitor it for awhile and she if she stops. If she seems to get worse call a dentist but make sure its a pediodontist. One that just works on kids. Good Luck! Us moms have to stick together. It's a tough world!! C. J.

The best thing to do is go to the dentist and get a mouth guard. My son is 23 he has had the teeth grinding problem since 3 or 4 too. At 14 the dentist said his jaw muscles were like a 40 year old. I grind mine very bad too and my teeth have suffered I wore off most of the enamel and they break a lot.

I recommend seeing a homeopathic dr. it's an imbalance that can cause this and a homeopathic remedy can help her stop. homeopathy is a holistic medicine over 200 yrs old. it's natural and has no side effects, so is safe for even newborns and preganant and nursing mothers. i recommend dr. polich at dupage homeopathic ctr in naperville (dupagehomeopathic.com). if that's too far for you to go, i can send you a link to other practitioners in chicagoland and beyond, just email me offlist.
if you want to read more abuot homeopathy and how it works, read one of dr. polich's newsletters on her website. they're so fascinating!
best of luck.

Go to the dentist, you can stop the teeth grinding usually with a guard, you can get them at the pharmacy.