13 Month Old Grinds His Teeth

My son use to do this too. I think they all do. The more you try to make them stop the more they do it. Just ignore it and he'll stop on his own. It's just a phase.

A.-
YIKES! My daughter (2 1/2) recently started grinding her teeth and it makes my skin crawl! I HATE IT! I wish I had some advice to offer- but all I've got is empathy. Please know you're not alone! I'll be checking in frequently to see what everyone else recommends. This is killing me worse than nearly anything else that she's ever done or is doing! Good luck!
C.

Hi A.,

My first child used to grind her teeth around 15 months of age. It drove me bonkers! She would not take a pacifier since 6 months of age. Well, she is now 6 years old and her teeth are perfect. No cavities, no wearing. I think alot of kids do it. Just like they find different parts, fingers, belly buttons, ect. They like to explore. I guess when they start grinding means they have found their teeth.
Take care, K.

Hello,
My husband is a board-certified pediatric dentist in Fairfield, CT. I asked him your questions. He says that there is no harm in grinding your teeth - many children do it - it does sound terrible to listen to though. Also, at 13 months, you should start to think about getting rid of the pacifier. You should consider taking him to a pediatric dentist for a visit.

Hi A.,
Don't sweat the teeth grinding thing, most all babies do it at one time or another and then outgrow it. It may come in spurts, but it will pass. My son did it and it drove me bonkers, I stressed about it and my pediatrician says it wouldn't damage his teeth. He is now almoswt 2 1/2 and his teeth are perfect. My friend is a dental hygenist and she says his teeth are perfect. Giving him a snack or refocusing his attention or calming him by "petting" his cheeks were all tactics that worked for us at various times. Best of luck, just remember, it may bother you horribly, but it won't jurt him or his teeth and he will outgrow it eventually.

My 4 year old just recently stopped grinding his teeth. I asked the dentist about it and they said that since they were baby teeth it really wasn't a problem at all. In fact, the grinding will build stronger bones in the jaw. If you still don't feel comfortable with it, just call your dentist. If you need a great pediatric dentist, I have one that we love located in the South Strabane area.

Good Luck!
B.

Hi A., my son who is 5 years old also grinds his teeth. It gets so bad at night that it sounds like he is chewing glass. His pediatric dentist said it was very normal and that most kids do this to some degree. We have a great kids dentist in Warrington when the time comes to take him. Her name is Karen Franz in the Doylestown wellness center.

Neither of my little ones ever took a pacifer but both also had periods of grinding that drove me crazy. I don't know if it causes problems, but I hated it. When i noticed it, I gently rubbed/patted their jaws/cheeks until they stopped. Doing this consistently as I noticed it seemed to make the behavior stop within a few days. It seemed to happen after they got a new tooth - like they were just testing out how the new addition felt in their mouth. The behavior would come and go as new teeth appeared.

I have a 9 month old with 6 teeth and he does the SAME thing! I wish I could find something to get him to stop it. The sound just goes right threw me!!

My son ground his teeth too but he stopped. I think it is a phase. I just got one of those teething rings that you put in the fridge. I remember doing it myself when I was under 3...I can remember a long way back (I'm 34 now)...I can remember that I liked the way it sounded and felt because my gums hurt. It kinda moved the gums around and massaged them when I ground my teeth. That is what I remember about it. When I was 5 I started biting my nails because I thought it was cool that my 13yr old babysitter did it (strange how kids think) hope that helps.

Hi A.,
I am a "retired" special education teacher. I worked with children of all ages that ground their teeth, and our speech pathologists and occupational therapists (small motor/eating specialists) always tried to find something to help them replace the behavior. Since he's young and doesn't have permanent teeth, and others are saying their dentists say it's okay, maybe it is....but cold teethers, vibrating teethers, orajel (in case it is teething), tylenol may all help. Giving him something crunchy (if it is the sound he likes) may work- he's 13 months, so maybe teething biscuits, biscotti, cheese doodles (they have really good non-yellowing ones in the organic section at giant eagle) or something that crunches and disolves may give him the same satisfaction. Toothbrushing may help too. He may get itches in his mouth or something and doing some oral exercises may help. I definitely would also check with the pediatrician as well as the dentist and see what they say. They may give you a time frame for it to stop before it becomes a problem. And if they say it's fine and you can live with the skin-crawling noise... (ps. velcro ripping open also makes my skin-crawl and that's definitely not a bad invention). Anyway, good luck.
M.

I just read something this weekend that I am going to try with my own son. I read that often times grinding teeth is stress related. One suggestion was to play soothing music, fewer beats per minute the better, for about twenty minutes before bed (or play while sleeping).

I know my son tends to become active before bed time so we are getting in a routine of bathtime, reading and speaking softly to get him in "down time" mode.

If you find something that works let us know. My son grinds so hard I can not get him to open his mouth without waking him up.