my almost 11month old has started grinding his teeth. it is like nails on a chalkboard! my husband and i can hardly stand it. sometimes i think he's doing it because he's got new teeth coming in and it's bothering him, and sometimes i'm not sure, because he does it when it appears that he's not in pain or anything. (it kind of looks cute when he does it because his top teeth are the ones next to the middle ones, so he has to offset his jaw to do it, but the sound it not worth the cuteness, he's cute enough for sure :) )
what can i do about this? what is this all about? when will it pass?
thank you so much everybody for the responses! i guess i'll just have to grin and bear it, i'm hoping if i don't make a big deal out of it, he won't do it as much. we'll see. thanks again everyone!!
My daughter used to do this too. I asked her dentist about this and she said it was normal, that lots of children do it. She suggested to tap her jaw when I noticed it, for whatever reason it makes them stop. My daughter usually did it when she was sleeping.
Both of my children did this too. I, also, thought it was cute at first but, when I learned it might cause maloccusion, I stopped thinking it was cute.
My search for information produced the follwing:
1. An odd behavior usually means something is wrong.
2. If you bottle feed, it might mean he isn't getting the needed strong sucking exercise he would get with a natural nipple.
3. Another possible problem is that all children today are exposed to toxic chemicals and heavy metals in the air, water, and food they are exposed to.
I was a breast-feeder so number two wasn't the cause in my case. So, I tried a product called Natural Cellular Defense that I found at: www.mywaiora.com/461538. My kids responded to it very well and stopped grinding their teeth. I have since added Essential Daily Nutrients to their and my diets. I feel great and apparently so do they.
my daughter did the same thing when she was about that age, she is now 21months. I was also unsure why she was doing it, because she didn't show any other signs of teething, but before too long, she had a tooth come through. The grinding didn't last very long for her, but she did do it again for a few days when her next tooth came in.
My daughter did the same thing. I never mentioned it to her or did anything to stop it and it passed in a few weeks. I think that a lot of kids grind their teeth because they discover that it makes a different noise, just like they repeat the same sound over and over for a few days and then move on. I did talk to the dentist about it and was told that until they are 6 or 7 (I think) there's not much they can do to stop the grinding. When they are old enough they can fit them with a bite guard to keep them from damaging their teeth. Hopefully, your little guy will get bored with the sound or feeling of grinding his teeth and move on to something else that will drive you nuts in a different way :)
My daughter really got into grinding her teeth around the 1.5 year mark - 2 years. The sound drove me up the wall and I asked my dentist if he thought it was ok that she was doing it. He said yes, it's more than likely ok. She eventually grew out of it after not too long, and very seldomly do I hear the noise anymore. Hopefully your son's grinding too will pass.
Our 22 mo. old daughter has been grinding her teeth off and on since about the time she got teeth. At first I thought it was because her gums were itching from the teething, but I just realized that she generally does it at the same time that she has tons of clear mucous pouring from her nose and other hayfever/allergy symptoms. When I give Tylenol and Benadryl to relieve the allergy/sinus discomfort she always stops grinding her teeth.
I sure don't wish your son has allergies, but if that is the case I hope it doesn't take you as long to figure it out! Best of luck!
I am not going to be much help, but wanted to let you know I took my 3 y/o to the dentist for his 1st check up. My main concern was that he grinds his teeth at night. The dentist told me there was nothing you can do and that he will grow out of it. Sorry, this may not be what you want to hear, but he will grow out of it. I agree it is a horrible sound and I cringe everytime too.
I bought a teehing pacifier called a teethifier (www.shopkidgear.com) that is really helpful for teething issues, even if your child doesn't normally take a pacifier. It has two knobby balls on it for chewing and can get to their back teeth as well. My son loves his and it has really helped. At one point, I misplaced the one I had. In a mommy moment of desperation, I bought in bulk. So if you're interested in trying one, I have plenty (new in package). Good luck and I hope this helps.
Letha
my 7 yr old granddaughter grinds her teeth so bad in her sleep. the has killed one of her front baby teeth n the dentist has told my daughter that they can do nothing for her till her adult teeth come in. it is an awful sound and when i hear it i shake her n tell her to stop. of course it doesnt help. i wish u luck in trying to stop it.
My son did the same thing, I think its just a phase at this age, with the new teeth coming in and its new to them, it will pass in time, I just kept telling my son dont do that and eventually he stopped, he has a mouthful of teeth so guess he just got used to the idea of the teeth being in his mouth.
I just took my 3 year old to a pediatric dentist on tuesday because his front teeth look bad. He said it was from the grinding and that 50-60% of all children do it. If it doesn't go away, by the time you take him to the dentist they will prescribe a flouride gell to put on his teeth when he's asleep. It's a pain but it is necessary to keep them from getting more damaged.
He probably enjoys making the noise. He has something that he can control. But on the other hand you should to break this habit as early as possible. Just put one finger on his lips and tell him "NO" in a firm(but not angry or raised)voice. You put your finger on his lips so that he understands what exactly the no-no is. It will take patience on your part but if it bothers like it did me, it will be worth it.
E.-
Wow, I am a 29 year-old 1st time mom of a 10 month old little boy too! We have a lot in common. Yeah, my little guy is doing that too. I asked both his pediatrician and my dentist about it and they both said it was normal and he's just feeling out his new chompers.
My Daughter did the same thing and with me working in the dental field for 10 years it is quite an errie thing to listen to. It does pass after they get more of their teeth in. Thank God! But in the mean time when he does it try to distrack his mind to re-direct his attention to get busy doing something else. Try to keep from making that behavior what gets a lot of attention.
my daughter is 6 yrs old and grinds her teeth while sleeping. she doesnt do it all night. it gives me the chills. cant do nothing yet to little for mouth gaurds.
My younger daughter did this also and it drove me crazy. She finally knocked a tooth loose at 9 months of age and we had to go in for our first dental appt. Luckily, the tooth firmed back up and she didn't have to have it removed, but it freaked me out.
We finally determined it was related to her allergies. She has food, seasonal, and pet allergies. When we started her on a daily dose of zyrtec, the grinding stopped.
