Teeth Grinding Or Clenching In Kids?

Baby Teeth Grinding and Clenching?

Some parents may notice that their kids grind their teeth while sleeping instead of sleeping in peace. The grinding of teeth is called Bruxism in medical terms and it is pretty common in babies. Teeth grinding or clenching may happen during a phase of sleep or when the babies are stressed, however, they overcome it.

Common causes of Bruxism:

Bruxism goes away on its own and babies don’t really have any intense side effects because of it. If teeth grinding doesn’t go away on its own, it may cause earache and headaches. If the baby is continuously grinding teeth, then the enamel of the teeth can be worn out.

Also, grinding can also cause problems such as temporomandibular joint disease (TMJ).

Bruxism in babies are identified by the parents because they may see some signs such as grinding noises during sleep, sore jaw, and painful chewing

Bruxism in toddlers goes away on its own but if your child at the age of 4-5 years old is facing grinding and clenching problems, then you need to take your child to the pediatric dentist. The children’s dentist will ask a few questions and then come up with a treatment plan according to the need of the child. If the grinding and clenching persists, then you will need to take your child to the children’s dentist.

How to control Bruxism?

One of the best ways to control bruxism in children is by making them relaxed before bed.

You can do this by giving them a warm bath or shower, by reading them their favorite story book or by making them listen to soothing music. The relaxation will prevent them from grinding or clenching their teeth.As bruxism can be caused by stress, so it is essential to talk to your child about it. It is important that children feel free to discuss anything that is disturbing them or making them upset.

Discussing the fears of your child will definitely lighten the stress and you will see an improvement in the grinding and clenching as well. When the kids lose their baby teeth, they stop grinding and clenching their teeth but babies overcome grinding and clenching in a short period of time usually. Usually, when the children are 6 months old, they grind and clench their teeth for some time and then they stop doing it.

Then again, at the age of 5 or 6 years old, the children may clench and grind their teeth again because their permanent teeth are about to come.If you notice that your little one is abnormally grinding and clenching teeth then make sure that you go to the pediatric dentist. The dentist will guide you and will also share the treatment plan with you.

Treatment for teeth grinding or clenching

Some pediatric dentists may give tooth guards to prevent your child from grinding and clenching teeth. If you think that stress and anxiety is the cause of teeth grinding or clenching then you should try changing the routine of your little one and it will certainly help. The treatment for teeth grinding and clenching is basically no treatment at all because the child outgrows it on its own .

If you see your baby grinding or clenching teeth, then make sure to not wake him up because then it will disturb the sleeping pattern of the baby. Instead of getting peaceful sleep the baby will be disturbed and you certainly don’t want that. All you can do is make the baby relaxed before sleep time, you can give soft massages or make him listen to soft music and this will definitely cause relaxation. When some time passes, the baby will outgrow the grinding of teeth on his own but if it doesn’t take place then you need to go to the pediatric dentist.