Toddler Grinding Teeth

Hi....My daughter would grind her teeth until her permanent teeth came in at 6.5 years. She just saw the dentist and her new teeth are fine luckily. She ground her top teeth so badly that she looked like she had no front teeth. The dentist said they don't make mouth guards for baby teeth. the main worry was her grinding into the permanent teeth. I think her habit is gone now. You just reminded me. I will look at her teeth tomorrow and make sure that they are not getting ruined.

I seems a lot of folks have been mentioning that stress could be the trigger and it might be but I would like to point out there are many other causes and frankly no one knows exactly. Some say it's misalignment of the teeth, something in the diet of the person etc. I have been grinding since I was young and have been wearing a night guard since. My son does it every now and then as well. I wish he wouldn't and hope he grows out of it since it does have annoying consequences. Talk to the dentist and hopefully your little on will grow out of it. I just wanted you to not worry that your kiddo is stressed out!

i heard it can be from hunger or stress.my daughter got a plastic thing to wear over her teeth at night to prevent damage.i got it at an orthodontist's.it helped.a

You know I hope that is normal, because my son does the same thing. I thought he was just feeling his teeth. They are a new thing for him and since we've taken him to the dentist, he's I suppose "aware" of them.
He likes to brush them though! lol. Anyones else have that?

My son does the same thing and used to do it during the day sometimes. His pediatrician said that he will likely grow out of it. The doc also said not to focus on it (i.e., mention it any more to our son) because that would probably backfire. Several members of my family (including me) have bruxism (chronic teeth grinding while sleeping), so when my son has his adult teeth, I will consider a night gard and biofeedback for him if he is still grinding. Also, I wouldn't use taking your son to the dentist as a negative consequence of his grinding his teeth. You don't want him to fear the dentist or look at going to the dentist as some kind of punishment. No one can consciously decide to stop grinding his/her teeth at night, trust me! If that were possible, I would have saved lots of $ on mouth guards over the years!

Hi there Momma,
You didn't mention how old your son is and if he gets dental care already. Of course the main thing is to get in and discuss it with his dentist. I do believe it is largely attributed to stress, but not always. Sometimes it's just a subconscious habit, in which case they usually grow out of it. If he's older, it will be harder to cure him of it, but I agree, getting to the source of the stress, if that's what it is, is key. I personally just realized about 2 months ago that I was grinding my teeth for the first time ever in my life, and it definitely was due to stress. However, number 1 priority would be the dentist and see what he/she recommends. Hopefully it's a phase and a habit he's currently hooked on that will eventually fade.....into something new and worse probably! If he's old enough to take a little Benadryl at night and he's not allergic or doesn't have adverse reactions to it, you might try that. It may be just enough to get him to sleep well enough that it at least won't happen at night. But stuff like that always needs to be checked out with a physician, whether dentist or regular doctor. I feel for him. It's a hard habit to break, even for adults.
God bless. Let us know what happens.

My 4 1/2 year old has been grinding his teeth at night since he was about 3 or so. He seems to go in waves where he grinds a lot and then not for some time. I asked his dentist and he didn't seem too worried about it at this age but you should talk to your dentist if you are concerned.

My daughter does this sometimes too, asleep. It's silly maybe, but, I just stroke her back gently and say quietly, "No grinding teeth, Lovey. I love you so much."

That doesn't necessarily stop the grinding every time but I figure it's a sweet way to reiterate that message to her body and her subconscious.

I grind my teeth while sleeping, in times of stress. So it seems relevant to give a little physical comfort and gentle spoken reassurance/direction to someone else who is doing it! Try it and see if it helps, and if you find a solution, be sure to let us know!

Good luck, mama!

Hi. People don't do this on purpose, particularly while they sleep. I didn't realize I was doing it until several years ago when a dentist pointed out that I had "shearing" on my teeth. It is involuntary, but generally associated with stress. If your son is stressed out about something the best way to deal with his grinding is to help him with the source of stress. There are some other things you can try: biofeedback, a GOOD chiropractor, herbal tea before bed (with enough time to pee it out before falling asleep.) Pinpointing and addressing the stress is number one though. I should add that this can do serious harm to your teeth if it goes on long-term. Good luck.

I agree completely with Karen. Her suggestions are great and will help, but probably won't take away the grinding all together. It might not be too worrisome now, but it will be when his permanent teeth come in, assuming they're not in yet. I have been a "grinder" my entire life (while I sleep). By the time I hit my mid 40's my teeth had worn down to the soft tissue under the enamel requiring veneers over 14 teeth in the front of my mouth (at a cost of $1000 per tooth). My original dentist never said a word, but once he retired and I switched dentists, the new one informed me I had a problem that could cause me to lose my teeth if no preventative care was taken. Several teeth were shorter than normal as a result of grinding. Your son will probably need a night guard for his upper teeth (or something similar). It looks like a sports guard that is worn for football or hockey. An impression is taken of the teeth and a custom fit plastic retainer like guard is made. It wraps under the surface of the top teeth preventing grinding away of the enamel on tooth surfaces. The guard also helps with clenching which causes TMJ. It is only worn at night when most, if not all, grinding occurs.
I would suggest that you consult with your son's dentist sooner than later so you know what your options are and possibly defray significant expense years down the road.
Good luck!