Baby Is Grinding His Teeth

Hi K.!

This is so annoying! My daughter did it for about a month, then as suddenly as she started it stopped. I don't know if it's because she got more teeth or if she got bored with it. I did notice the more of an issue I made of it the more she did it. I know this doesn't help much-I guess just wear earplugs until it stops! Good luck!

I too have a 10 1/2 month old. She started grinding her teeth yesterday. I was told that she should outgrow this and that it is a new sensation to her. However, it does sound horrible:)

I had mentally blocked out this stage but your question brought it all flooding back! My twins went through this about that age, and if you think ONE of them is bad . . . just imagine having two of them! AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGG. With my oldest, I was able to ignore the squeaks and he quickly lost interest in doing it. But with the twins, they would giggle at each other and egg each other into doing it. I swear this stage lasted twice as long with my twins as it did with my oldest! But it DOES stop . . . eventually!

K.,

Good timing...yesterday I read in Parenting magazine that it's common for teeth grinding in 9 - 12 months. They will outgrow the faze. Enjoy your little one as I have a 9 month old who is teething. :-)

I had a similar thing happen and mentioned it to my doctor and dentist. They both told me that it's very common and not a sign of tension, like with an adult, it's simply the child adjusting his bite and not to worry.

my 10.5 month old is currently doing the same thing. no big deal! luckily these teeth don't need to last very long! :)

When my 11 mo old does this...it gives me chills. But all babies do it. Those little teeth are so so sharp when they cut through their gums....it's a natural thing to grind them so their a little smoother. Don't worry about it :)

K.-
My eight month old did the same thing once she got all 4 teeth on top and 2 on bottom. I think she did it because they were something new and foriegn in her mouth. It was just her way of discovery. It drove me crazy! I would cringe every time she did it. But it was just a faze. She no longer does it; and it lasted about two or three weeks. Hopefully your little one will out grow it too!
A. ;)

My 10 1/2 son is grinding his teeth as well. I usually give him a cracker or cookie to chew on when he starts doing it, (IF I'm at home). Otherwise, I touch his mouth and tell him to stop. Haha, that only works for a min! I do think it's just a phase that they are going through and will eventually quit doing it. Atleast I hope so.

:)

My daughter did the exact same thing at about the same time. She stopped on her own after the novelty wore off. I have seen other posts on this site and I think everyone has said the same thing.

Now that your son has his front teeth, what you'll need to watch out for is BITING. In my opinion, this is far worse than the teeth grinding. OUCH!!!

K., I haven't had any experience with that, but my sister works for a pediatric dentist on the Sammamish plateau and he is great! His name is Dr. Warren Aka and here is his website www.akakidsdds.com

I would imagine that you could call their office and find out what you can do or if they know any pediatric dentist that are nearer to you. If they say you should bring your little one in to check his teeth, and you don't have dental insurance for your little guy then just talk to them about it. I don't have dental insurance for my kids and I felt like they were very up front about cost and willing to work with me.

Good Luck,
M.

My daughter did the same thing. It comes and goes in phases. Everyone I talked to said it was normal and not to worry about it. I am sure if it goes on for a really long time it can be a problem but, for now ignore or try to.

K., I worked in dentistry for several years and had several Moms come in with this question...and for one they feellike they need to put pressure on them because more teeth are trying to come in. Can you remember when you got your wisdom teeth (if you did)...you wanted to apply pressure where they were coming in . The ages that you are mentioning are ages where more teeth are coming through. They cannot get to the gum area so they grind their teeth. I solved this with my daughters by giving them a cold washcloth to chew on...I would dampen it, put it in the freezer and they would press down on it in the areas where the teeth were coming through. It worked great...not only did it stop the grinding it also numbed the gums where they were cutting the teeth. I knew an Indian mother who gave her son a piece of leather to chew on...same thing...but I preferred the washcloth. LOL L.

My little guy started grinding his teeth around that time, too. I don't remember how long it lasted. But, I think he was just experimenting with new sounds and his teeth. He is way out of that phase now (he's 19 months old)... I think it only last a couple weeks.

Now, he really like playing with his tongue. :-)

My daughter did this when she was young when she was sleeping and it drove me crazy but the dentist said it was a phase and that turned out to be true. I would call a pediatric dentist and ask about this. If you don't have one yet, I recommend Eastside Pediatric Dental Group in ____@____.com could probably just talk to someone on the phone about it and get some advice from a professional. Good luck!

Hi, my son grinds his teeth also. He grides in his sleep but the dentist says there really is nothing they can do for little ones (he is 3 now) and that he will eventually outgrow it or they will give him one of those bite things for when he's sleeping once his adult teeth come in. Hang in there I know it's a horrible noise but not much can be done.

my 3yo daughter still grinds her teeth (in her sleep now) and one of my 15 month old twins does throughout the day. i asked their pediatric dentist because i too was worried about permanent damage and he said that almost 50% of children do and that there are no long term effects and except for the horrible sound, is not a problem. he said distraction is really the best way to stop it at the moment and not to worry about it.

hopefully it will be a short faze for you!