Son Is Grinding Teeth

I am sorry, I have no advice. I just want to support you by saying this is totally normal and will pass. Ear plugs?

AHHHHHHHHH! I know the feeling! Worse than nails on a chalkboard I think!

My daughter did this a little at that age. She just stopped! I don't remember the last time she did it. I don't have any tips, sorry! She stopped on her own before I had to come up with a strategy.

Hi C.! I am a dental assistant and have 6 kids so I've been there. There isn't anything you can do about it except if your son has a pacifier to stick it in his mouth while he's sleeping. And unfortunately when he finally stops doing it he'll start again when he's trying to loose his baby teeth. My oldest, who is almost 20, did it so bad you could hear it all the way across the apt. we lived in. Creeped me out BAD! It tends to go in spurts and seems to be worse when your kid is tired or is going through a growth spurt. Get some good ear plugs and if you find a brand that works let me know cause my husband snores so loud it vibrates the bed!! OMG!
I use to be any army wife Many years ago so hang in there, I'm sure your doing a good job. Take care of yourself!
M. B.

Hi C., I bet you've received 1,000 responses by now with advise! I'm a 45 year old grandmother of 1 beautiful 7 year old girl. I have 3 children of my own - 1 girl and 2 boys, (29, 22, and 20) respectively. My middle son began grinding his teeth when he was your son's age. He NEVER stopped. He would always grind his teeth when he slept and when he was frustrated at anything or about anything, ie toys, siblings, time of day, whatever! When he was 5 years old, his Dad and I separated/divorced. His grinding grew worse and he also began to clinch his teeth really bad. He broke off his baby teeth. I took him to the dentist and he told me not to worry about it because he would outgrow it or until he started to get his permanent teeth in. I bought him a football mouthguard and cut it down to fit his little mouth. It worked for a while until he started taking it out at night.... He's now my 22 year old that does not grind his teeth and btw he's in the Army Reserve.

My granddaughter was the same as my son; however since it's been a few years since we talked to the dentist about this problem, I took her in. He made her a custom night guard at 5 years old and told us that he would have to make her another one at least every 6 - 9 months as her mouth grew. She was also going through a traumatic experience. My daughter and her husband, btw an Army Ranger, had been fighting ALOT. They separated and divorced when she was about 4 1/2. As she was working out her issues, she would grind and clinch. Now that she's 7, she rarely grinds at all. She mainly grinds when she's upset with her Mom, talks to her Dad on the phone, or something along that line... Now that she's 7 and has her permanent teeth coming in, she is really making an effort to pay attention to the grinding and write down her feeling instead.

When she was younger, my daughter made her a waterproof soft picture book that had pictures of Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, etc in it so that she could feel like she was still connected to us all. I also bought him a recorder so that he could record messages to her before he left for training, deployment, etc. His voice and looking at his pictures seemed to help with the grinding more than anything. I believe that was her way of showing that she was feeling abandoned....??? a grandmother's perception! When she could see him and hear him it helped more than anything. Maybe you can try that?

Thank you and your family for your selfless support of the USA. I as well as my family, appreciate your sacrifice. I know that it's a difficult lifestyle for all of you, but also know that it takes a SPECIAL kind of person and FAMILY to do it! God Bless and Keep you all. You're in my prayers and thoughts.
K., aka Grandma in Missouri

I started giving my girl the binky back because I couldn't stand the grinding. It helped some. Is he getting more teeth in? If so try some tylenol to help with that and it may help the grinding. Pretty much though we had to just let it pass.

My daughter did that for a short while and I'm like you, it was like nails on a chalk board everytime she did it. I would just put my finger in her mouth and seperate her teeth and give her something to chew on. Hopefully he'll stop.

I am a dentist who sees many kids come through with this same problem. It is normal for kids with baby teeth to grind. A lot of times parents can hear the grinding from another room. Sometimes it can get to the point where the teeth are ground down to nubs, and that is normal too. Rarely does this continue when the adult teeth come in, and if it does, you then need to see your dentist.

I'm not sure what you can do to stop him from grinding, but maybe the advise from the two previous moms may help. You may want to speak to a pediatric dentist for their opinion. However, if he does continue, it could lead to problems like cracked teeth - which is what I went through with my son. He had to have caps put on 5 of his teeth, because they cracked from grinding his teeth in his sleep. This started about a year ago. They don't give mouth pieces to small kids for fear of choking, so the only other option was to put caps on his molars that cracked. When he gets older, he will most likely wear a mouth guard if he does not outgrow the habit.

it maybe just a phase or it could be a sign he is under stress. if u have has a life changing event recently it maybe his way of dealing wtih the stress of the event. it maybe he misses daddy and just give it time. my sister is a marine wife and she has a 2 1/2 yr old son he will sometimes grind his teeth at night after his daddy gets deployed. hes been overseas a few different times. it lasts a month or so and then hes fine. so just be patient.

I think I'm with everyone else, there really isn't anything you can do. I'm a teeth grinder and have been since I was a baby. My youngest daughter is also a teeth grinder, and did her front teeth when she was small and didn't have back teeth (she's 4 now). She now grinds her back teeth, just like mom. When he is a little older you can tell him to stop, but if he does it in his sleep there isn't a way to stop it. I've been trying for years.

I also want to thank your husband and you for what you do for this country. I know how hard it is on you and the family and what a great support you are to your husband to help him keep the rest of us safe. My father is an officer (CW4) and I'm a proud Army brat! My father is still active and has been to Iraq 3 times (will go again sometime in '09).

Good luck to you and your family.

My son has been a grinder for about a year now and he is almost 3. We recently took him to his first dentist appt and found out there's really nothing we can do about it. They can't do mouthguards since he's growing and has baby teeth.

We've talked to specialists and they all repeat the "it's just a phase" phrase. One thing to think about . . . is it possibly a sensory issue? How are his chewing skills? Does he maybe need to chew on crunchier things and he compensates by grinding?

I know you dont want to hear this but its a phase, my kid went thru it until all his teeth were in, since he got all his teeth he dont grind them together anymore. Its because they are feeling out the teeth and realizing the noise they can make, and it could feel better if he is teething. Try giving him Hylands Teething tablets, they work wonders for my son.

Good Luck

I would like to thank your husband for serving in the army to keep my family and me safe. I would like to thank you for what you and your little boy sacrifices. I have seen what my daughter and her two kids went through. My son-in-law is in the army too and has been twice. It is very hard on the family, so lean on your family and his that is what we are here for. About your little boy call the dentist ask him. My father-in-law would do it in his sleep. My husband use to do it when he would get upset.