Teeth Grinding - Hartman, AR

I know it seems terrible, but my pediatrician told me that a pacifier may cause a need for braces later, but at least the teeth wont be completely gone. Giving a pacifier just at night might help.

Hi! I'm a dental hygienist and it's not uncommon at all for children to grind their teeth and yes, sometimes it can be really loud. He will wear down those teeth, but since they're baby teeth and he'll be losing them in a couple years its ok. most kids outgrow the grinding. Hope this helps!

First of all Congratulations and God bless on your two miricle babies.
I have gone through the teeth grinding with a few children and a few grandchildren, with NO bad results. On our morning local news we have a dentist that comes on once a week. Your same question was asked of him. He said do not worry about it, it won't hurt them and in some cases does some good. As far as starting a fund for dental work down the road. lol you will probably have to do that any way.
Good Luck to you and bless you, J.

I have a 24 year old grinder when he was little the dr do not seens to worry about it since they were his baby teeth, But as he get his adult teeth , the Dr had us get a football month piece for him to wear to bed at night. It was a lost cause , we then move on to a month piece the Dr make for him , again a lost cause again. I would tell you to kept your Dr in the know about this. I would also tell you to kept a good watch on his teeth I never remenber Jeff losing his teeth so he still has his baby teeth or sallow them as they get loses. I do know that when he was 17 I take him to the Dr to get a teeth that had gone bad pull out and was told that he had a adult teeth behind it, yes after it was pull one fall down.He know he grinds because we had wake him up becuse he has done so loud he has woke us up.He has never say he has be in pain from it.

I have a 3 1/2 yr old who has been grinding his teeth hard since he got his molars in. He's been to the dentist every 6 months for regular visits since he was 2, and we have discussed this issue. The dentist said at this age, there is nothing he can do, because if he prescribed a mouth guard, it could be a choking hazard and not likely he'd wear it anyway. It kills me to hear it, and we try to remind him to not do it (when he is doing it when awake) and reward him when he stops, it has cut down on it in the waking hours, but he still does it at night.

H.,

I highly recommend taking him to a dentist now. I started grinding my teeth due to stress as an adult and now have to wear a retainer at night, to avoid further damage to my teeth. I also recommend that you try to find out why he started grinding his teeth. Is something making him stressed/upset? Figuring this out may help him to stop grinding his teeth altogether. Good luck!

K.
mother of three, four-yrs old and under

Hi H.,
I have been grinding my teeth for years. Not only is it annoying for my mate but it is painful for me. It makes the teeth and gums sore. I have been told it is because of TMJ which is a problem in the joint of the jaw. My sister had hers fixed by having surgery. You need to contact your dentist and advise him of this problem and see what he suggests. It can do permanent damage. I've never heard of it in one so young, but these days you never know. The sooner you see about this problem the better. Good luck and God bless.

My son did this too. I could hear him from the other room! I started giving him valerian at bedtime to help him sleep, and in a short time, he stopped grinding his teeth. I bought a liquid valerian supplement by Herbs for Kids called Valerian Super Calm. It can be given to children as young as 1 and it's worth a try.

A.
http://www.audreysallnaturalshoppe.com

Hi, H.,

I grind my teeth in my sleep when I'm under stress, and from it have learned that it is, in fact, a stress-related behavior - and I've learned how harmful and expensive it can be. Teeth grinding ("bruxism") is absolutely damaging to teeth, too, and yes, it can cause thousands of dollars in dental bills from cracked, chipped and misaligned teeth. It also wears away the enamel on the tops and bottoms of teeth, which greatly increases the likelihood of cavities.

But rather than starting a savings account and waiting for it to get worse, get to the source of the problem, because you can stop or minimize it - reduce whatever stress is in his environment. You might want to try family counseling, or meeting with a counselor to learn what bed-time routines you can take that will help him relax - hopefully enough that it will curtail the bruxing (lavender bath, soft music, low lights during the last hour before bed, calm environment in general). Find whatever de-stress approach you can that will work for your little boy. As for treating the actual symptom, acupuncture can treat bruxism, and so can other therapies like biofeedback and/or neurofeedback (maybe a little more feasible for such a little one, though acupuncture isn't supposed to hurt a bit).

Whatever approach you take, you will want to find some way to protect those teeth in the meantime, before you start to see results. Dentists do provide mouth guards. They can fit him for one. They're supposed to be pretty comfortable to wear at night, but your son might reject it and grow out of it quickly. It might be an option, though.

As for neurofeedback, you can download mp3 files or order shipped CDs from some companies online, and play them for him on "repeat" while he sleeps. Neurofeedback trains the brain to work optimally. So, if he's stressed, it can calm down those stressed-out brain patterns, so he will probably not grind as it plays in his sleep. They're pretty cheap. There are a couple of different companies I like: brainsync and hemi-sync. They're also perfectly safe (which you can't always say about the drugs that the doctors can put kids on from their earliest days).

Hope this helps.

L.

As a dental hygienist, I have seen countless young children who grind their teeth. All I can say is at this point, try not to worry. As a mother of a 2 year old and a 6 month old, I know that's easier said than done. It is VERY common for small children to grind their teeth with all of the growth that is going on. There is nothing you can do at this point except hope that he grows out of it...most children do. If you notice him doing it in the middle of the day, you can encourage him not to. Having said this, I would still recommend you mention this either to your child's pediatrician or to his dentist. They'll be able to give you more peace of mind. Hope this helps.

Ouch!

Before I give you my thoughts, I've been a licensed physical therapist and massage therapist for 15 years, and have treated TMJ dysfunction for at least that long.

First, yes it can damage his teeth. Second, it can also create muscle imbalances which can damage or injure is jaw joint (TMJ). The biggest factor causing TMJ problems is stress, resulting in grinding. There are a lot of factors to treatment. Here's how I'd handle it if he was my son.

Look at what stress may be going on in the family, especially with you and your husband. Kids that young (as well as younger and older ones) feed off stress in the home. If the two of you were stressed about the last round/s of IVF, he may have fed off of it. He may also be concerned about what a sibling might mean to him, although he may be too young to understand this, too.

Has he started anything new (potty training, new preschool, etc). Just be positive about whatever the change is to encourage him, but don't necessarily stop anything.

He could also just have a "tight wound" personality. Try to help him learn how to relax (soothing music, stretching, prayer, maybe even Yoga). If he regularly goes to church, even memorizing some verses about God taking our problems, being a comforter could help.

Next, I would try some homeopathic sleep aids. A couple of good ones that we use are Calms Forte 4 Kids (avail at most "natural" stores like Whole Foods and online at several places), also Serenity, Jr. and PureCalm (both available from Native Remedies). All three are safe for young guys and have worked to help our kids relax when things got too stressful (we have a grinder, too)

Finally, I would try some "massage". Not necessarily from a therapist, but get some lotion or massage oil and gently "rub" it into his skin. A great addition to the lubricant is therapeutic essential oils. Order either Gentle Baby or lavender from a Young Living representative. It's the best quality oil I'm aware of. (low quality smells nice, but doesn't have therapeutic effect)

Hope it helps!

HI H.,

DOUBLE CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MIRACLES/GIFTS FROM GOD! I am not a dentist nor work in the dental field but both my husband and I have the same problem with grinding teeth, our dentist told us that we would have to wear night guards to prevent teeth chipping, headaches, earaches, etc. The guards are very expensive, but I noticed while out shopping that they now sell them in the stores, of course they are not custom made.

If i were you I would take my son to a pediatric dentist for a consultatation. He may develop headaches, earaches, jaw problems as a result if not treated, don't know.

Have a great day!

Blessings,
P.

HollyM. My grand daughter use to do the same thing, grinding and would wake us up too, you can go to your Dentist, they have something today that you can put in there mouth if you can fine the size for it, I hope this helps.

Are you here in Huntsville? i PREVIOUSLY WORKED FOR A WONDERFUL dENTIST WHO could probably answer your ??

Mine all ground their teeth for a period too, I asked my pediatrician about it and she said that it was only phase and most children pass out of it rather quickly. If it doesn't end, however, dentists can make special night guards to protect from night grinding. I don't think the grinding now will effect their permanent teeth.

you need to take him to your dentist. My younger sister was a teeth grinder from a early age. they made her sleep with a mouth gard. Hope this helps

P.

Ask your dentist...or Pedidontist..for kids...

H.,
I would conact a pediodonist and ask him...He may have allergies that is causing the teeth grinding..I doubt he has damaged his teeth, but I would have them checked..I wish you luck...

My granddaughter grinds her teeth also; but the dentist gave her a pliable cover for her teeth. She wears it only at night. It saves her teeth and our nerves.

My son used to grind his teeth so badly when he was that age and a few years older that it would also wake me up across the hall. It would seem to hurt me more than him. He has beautiful healthy permanent teeth and no damage was done. If we were sleeping together and he would do it, I could stroke his head or back and get to relax and it would stop. He was never stressed that we could tell, happy young boy all the time. Just a reflex action that many have. He grew out of it. Crunching ice can cause more damage we were told and this was also something he loved to do!

One suggestion is to have him checked for intestinal worms. Talk to your doctor to see if that is a possibility. He/she will tell you how to check for them while your child is sleeping. Good luck in finding a solution that works for your child.

H.,
I am the proud mommy of a 3 yr old miracle baby as well, and a 19 month old miracle baby, too. My 3 yr old grinds his teeth terribly!!!! I didn't realize how bad until he was in the hospital last summer and I slept right in the bed with him. It was awful! It sounded like rubbing 2 bricks together! I quickly asked my pediatrician about it and he said it was something he would just out grow. He said a lot of babies do this. He is the best doctor ever and I fully trust his judgement. He did say that as long as it was his baby teeth there should be even less to worry about. I know it sounds awful and if it's any consolation I think my son's is getting better. I forgot I did take him to my dentist as well and he said his teeth look fine and said not to worry, too. As far as a mouth guard goes my dentist said he wouldn't need one until his permanant teeth came in and if he was still grinding then. Congrats on your 2 miracles! I know a little about where you are coming from even though every story is different I know the struggles and the blessings!! I would love to discuss this further sometime.
A.

Speaking from experience, teeth grinding can be very expensive and painful. I have TMJ, otherwise known as lock-jaw, from grinding my teeth. My jaw has actually locked a couple of times, and that requires physical therapy. Even when it isn't locked, it is very painful. It pops and clicks and is misery. I would suggest you talking to your dentist, who may even send you to an orthodontist. My orthodontist has put me into a series of splints. I wore the 1st one for 6-7 months, and it reset the alignment of my jaw. It wasn't painful, it was like a retainer. I am now in the 2nd, last, splint and it is a retainer that I only wear at night.

I would get it looked at as soon as possible. Not only does it cause the TMJ, it also grinds away his teeth. It will be better to get it taken care of sooner rather than later.

If you want any other info, send me an email.

H.

2 of my 4 kids had severe issues with grinding their teeth. One in particular would wake me up with it. Surprisingly enough their teeth are fine. I did speak with the dentist about it and was told until they are older and it is the permanent teeth there really wasn't much to do about it now. When the child is older they can use mouth pieces at night, but that really isn't an option for a child so young. in most cases it passes. As the new teeth are popping out it itches. Grinding is the best way a kid knows how to "scratch" it. It gets better!!

I noticed no one else mentioned this possibility,so I will. In America no one thinks about this but it is very common in children with cats and dogs and those who play in the dirt...parasites.they cause night teeth grinding.and American doctors do not study this and usually don't know how to treat it!check into talking to a natropath doctor or go to your local healthfood store they have more info where they sell herbs and such for these things.studies have found that more than50./.of Americans have parasites after doing a parasite cleanse!maybe you can look into this and get further info.I know I was shocked myself to learn about this.

In most cases, teeth grinding isn't harmful. It's very unlikely that your baby is doing any damage to his teeth, and it's very likely that he'll soon outgrow the habit. Mention it to his dentist at his next checkup, though, so he/she can check the teeth for wear and any resulting problems Experts don't know for sure what causes teeth grinding, but they tend to think that tension or anxiety, pain (from earaches or teething, for example), Some also suggest that allergies may play a role. most likely you'll just have to wait for your baby to grow out of it. In the meantime, it won't hurt to work on a soothing bedtime routine — maybe a leisurely soak in the tub, a little back rub, or a story in the rocking chair. Hope this helps and Good Luck!

C. Safford
www.momstakeaction.com
Moms Helping Other Moms to a brighter future..

most dentists won't make a big deal out of any issues before grown-up teeth come in BUT you really should bring him in.... there make be a bigger issue here (like lock-jaw). Being that he's a little young for stress (which is a huge factor for adults who grinde their teeth) I would definitely look for a medical explanation. Maybe if it's something that can be diagnosed now you may be able to avoid massive dental bills in the future.

H.,

You might want to speak to your dentist about your child's teeth grinding. Several years ago my dentist asked me if I grinded my teeth. To the best of my knowledge I don't but how would I know if I am asleep?! She told me my teeth were worn down more than the should be for a person my age and she recommended a mouth guard. This appliance is similiar to the retainer that people get after having braces except instead of having a piece of plastic which fits to the roof of your mouth and a wire across the front of you teeth you just have one solid piece of plastic which wraps down the backside of your teeth and covers the top of the teeth. I was given the option of having the made to fit my upper teeth or my lower teeth. I chose the upper teeth.