Grinding Teeth Already!

J.,
I have been a dental asst for 8 years and this is VERY common in little kids. Teeth are "new" to him. He is discovering his teeth just like he discovers fingers and toes. I bet 80% of the kids we see grind their teeth. Almost all grow out of it. He is so little I dont think there will be a way to stop it right now. Baby teeth arent THAT important (we lose them) so if hes still doing it when he has permanant teeth you might need to get him a mouth guard. Right now I wouldnt worry about it. Now as far as your husband doing it , he might need to get a night guard, grinding in adults is stress related and he can do damage to his teeth and stress out his muscles in his head and neck .
Hope this helps! Good Luck,

There isn't a way to "break this habit". It is a natural occurance. In babies and small children, they grind their teeth because they are new and the feeling in their mouth is different. As for your husband, he needs to discuss this with his dentist right away. This could be a symptom of stress, or that his jaw is out of alignment. I wouldn't worry about the baby at all, just part of growing.

Our son started grinding his teeth around 12 months, when he got about five teeth all at once. He did it for no more than two weeks. We think he was just discovering what he could do with his teeth, and he stopped after it wasn't interesting anymore. It was annoying, and we didn't like that he did it, but we tried not to pay any attention to it and he stopped on his own. I think it'd only be a concern if it goes on a LONG time, or persistently through childhood.

My three year old grinds her teeth at night. I have noticed it when she is sick or has a nightmare and gets into our bed. It is awful - like fingernails on a chalkboard. I asked the dentist about it and he said that there is nothing I can do about it until she is older. He said it might only be when she is sick/stressed???? He also said that it is fairly common in young children and they often grow out of it.

Our little girl did some teeth grinding on and off that lasted for about a month. She seemed to do it more when she got new teeth. Between her 6th month and 8th month she got 6 teeth back to back and did lots of grinding. Then she stopped grinding without us intervening in any way--we just ignored her grinding when she was doing it and would look at us. At 9months she got 2 more teeth and I noticed her grind her teeth maybe 3 times with those. Now she is a year and isn't grinding anymore.
Like someone else posted...this is normal thing while they are figuring out what their new additions are all about. Our pediatrician and a dentist friend told us not to worry either.

Take care~

My youngest did that! Like you, I was worried. Once I found out it wasn't a problem, then it was kind of cute. She had 4 little teeth - 2 on top & 2 on bottom and would figure out some way to grind them. I don't remember when she stopped but she is 7 now and doesn't grind at all. Babies are just funny!