My Son's Teeth

My 7 year old grinds his teeth, big time. The pediatric dentist said it's pretty common and nothing to worry about until the adult teeth come in. It seems to be lessening as he gets older.

M.
"Mom on a Mission"
www.GoodHealthMadeSimple.com/M.

No, but as an adult who grinds her teeth, it is due to over activeness. Are the eating sugar late? Try sleepy time teas, and exercise the jaws so they will be tired.

Yes. Take them to the dentist, get a mouth guard. S.

children grinding their teeth at that age is very normal specially at night. But you might want to get their teeth checked by thier dentist just to make sure they are not harming them.

L.

My middle son is five and still does this!! It drives me nutty but I guess its normal my other two don't do it. I used to grind my teeth when I was younger and now sleep with a mouth guard at night to protect my teeth.

T.,

I work for an Orthodontist, it is very common for children to grind their teeth. Do not be concerned with this at a young age, but when the permanent teeth come in you should consider orthodontics to correct the bite if it is still an issue. Good luck.

Hi T.. Well my son will be 7 this May and he still grinds his teeth. I have asked about this several times and I have always been told not to worry. His teeth are straight across now and it scares me. Well I have a very good friend that works at a dentists office in Las Vegas and she told me not to worry about it. She told me that boys grind their teeth because their jaws are growing. And they grow much more than girls do. So since then I haven't worried about it, but I hope I made the right decision. If you hear anything different I would love for you to share it with me. Hope it helped a little. By the way I have two daughters and they have never grinded their teeth so maybe it is a boy thing.

My 4 1/2 year old does this too! I can hear him across the house! My MIL said that my husband did this too as a child and he doesn't do it now, so I haven't worried too much. I think it's very common and is usually outgrown. When his permanent teeth start coming in I'll check with his dentist if he still does it.

I have a 5 year old daughter that started to grind her teeth at night. I'm not sure how long she has been grinding her teeth, I just found out about a month or two ago. In the middle of the night she started to come and get in bed with my husband and I and that's when I discovered her grinding. Sometimes it was so loud it would wake me up. I myself have a problem with clinching my teeth at night and my orthodontist made me a mouth guard. I'm thinking she will probably need a mouth guard. I will be calling my friend who works for my orthodontist to ask her and will let you know.

A little about me:
I am a mommy of 4 girls, 7,5, & a set of twins 20 mos, old. Life is busy in our house and God is good!

Hi T.,

My 5 year old daughter grinds here teeth at night abd I keep thinking she's going to have pirhanna teeth. My sister is a Dental Hygienist, everytime I take her in to get her teeth cleaned, she and the dentist reassure me and tell me that she will grow out of it. Try not too worry I'm sure they know what they are talking about.
M. J.

we talked to our pediatric dentist, as our daughter(4) does the same. he said this is very normal until the permanent teeth come in, and even then some is natural.

All three of my childen have ground their teeth. My dentist told me that they would grow out of it and not to worry about it too much when they were little. He said it usually stopped before it became a problem. My oldest, now 9, stopped before her permanent teeth came in and she is fine. My youngest still does, but I am hoping he follows the pattern of his older siblings and stops. I figure as long as their teeth remain healthy enough to eat and they stop before the permanent ones come in, not to worry. But, I could always be wrong...

Both my boys (7 & 5) grind their teeth. Our dentist doesn't think its something to worry about yet. Check with your dentist to see if they think its something to be concerned with.

My 6 year daughter grins her teeth and I have spoken to the dentist on several occasion about this, and she said this is one way of helping other teeth come in. If you are anything like me you can't stand that sound. Talk to your dentist and see what he/she has to say.

UGH! My oldest did this at night and it was so loud it would wake me through the monitor! I talked to our pediatrician and dentist and both said it was normal. She never complained of it causing pain in her jaw or soreness in her teeth. One thing to note, if your little ones have sinus pain or congestion it could cause them to clench their teeth (providing pain relief through counter pressure).

T.,
This happens a lot with children their ages. they are still teething and it helps the back teeth come in. However, it would be a good idea to take them to a dentist just to make sure that there is no damage being done. if they are not on fluoride drops it is a good idea also to strengthen the teeth.

My sister has always ground her teeth, even as a small child. She is now nearly 30 and wears a mouth guard at night. It can create jaw problems, headaches, as well as wearing on the teeth. You may want to contact a dentist who works with young children to learn about interventions.