teeth grinding in kids
causes, effects and treatment
When kids grind their teeth it is called
bruxism. Bruxism usually happens
during the night, when kids clench the
lower and the upper teeth, while rubbing them.
Usually kids do this when they’re sleeping so they
don’t know they’re doing it.
what are the causes?
The causes of bruxism aren’t well known for now.
Some kids will do the teeth grinding, others will
not. A lot of people think that bruxism happens
because in some cases the teeth of the kids don’t
fit well together. That happens sometimes because
the jaws and teeth don’t grow at the same
time, but in phases. This provokes sensations
that are unpleasant, so kids will do the teeth
grinding, which makes them feel better. Sooner
or later this will become a habit for the kid. Teeth
grinding also appears when both adults and kids
have some kind of pain at their teeth or ear, or
when they are anxious. A lot of children that are
hyperactive also get bruxism.
Recently, studies suggest that another reason
why kids get bruxism is sleep disturbances. These
sleep disturbances can also provoke drooling, bet
wetting or sleep talking. Because REM patterns
(rapid eye movement) are interrupted while
you sleep if you’re dehydrated, this can signal a
number of other issues, but your dentist can give
you more advice about that.
what effects does it have?
Usually, there are no problems for kids if they
grind their teeth. It’s going to be fine even if their
milk teeth appear, because there isn’t any damage
or pain. If it happens a lot though, or if the kid
loses their milk teeth, you should ask a doctor if
everything is alright. In some cases, it’s possible
for teeth infections to show up, so check with a
doctor. Usually, kids will get over this problem in
time, so don’t worry about it too much.
what can help?
In most cases, bruxism will disappear on its own,
but you probably should try to get him to stop
grinding teeth anyway. You should ask a dentist
for some tips, and he can check and see if there
are any issues with his teeth, like a bad alignment.
Usually, the dentist will recommend a mouth
guard for your kid. If the kid wears it while he
sleeps, the teeth grinding will be avoided. It is
used often as a treatment and it usually works.
You shouldn’t avoid other treatments just because
this one is good. In plenty of cases kids
don’t feel good wearing the mouth guard. Another
good treatment was hypnosis, which works well
on people, no matter how old they are.
If the cause of the teeth grinding is caused by
anxiety or stress, you need to find out what causes
these feelings. You can try relaxing the kid before
sleeping, either with jaw massages or warm baths.
These methods will help the kid sleep better,
uninterrupted and relaxed.
What you need to take from this is that you
shouldn’t be worried about teeth grinding in kids.
It happens a lot, and it’s more of a problem if the kid
already has his adult teeth. In that case, you should
take him to a dentist, to see what’s causing it.
Article by Jay Sanders
WomanToWomanMagazine.com 25
/WomanToWomanMagazine.com
