6 Year Old Grinds Teeth at Night and Blinks a Lot All Day

My son grinds his teeth at night, too. Now he's 11 yrs. I'm not sure when it started, probably when he was six. Anyway, the dentist told me it was normal due to the jaw adjusting to the teeth. I was not consoled, but let it go. Some weeks are worse than others, his outward experiences seem to have any correlation. My husband wanted to give him a mouth guard (he is a lighter sleeper than I), but the dentist discouraged it... I would certainly look into allergies for the blinking. I'll have days when I have to blink a lot, it's very distracting for listening and remembering for myself. Good luck. I'll be interested in responses that had a successful turnout dealing with the grinding teeth.

My middle sister would grind her teeth so hard at night we could hear it down the hallway. My Mom took her to the dentist and even spoke to the school counselor. My sister would also sleepwalk and talk in her sleep. It all stopped when she was a teenager. She did wear a bite plate in her mouth for a while since she was grinding her teeth down. However, she does suffer from really bad migraines and always wondered if the grinding and maybe TMJ had anything to do with it. Have they x-rayed your sons mouth and jaw for TMJ? Does he get headaches? Good luck!

It does sound like anxiety - even the blinking could be a tic onset by anxiety (although the allergies makes sense since it is always in allergy season)....I'm not a doctor, but I do have experience with grinding teeth as well. I grind my teeth when my husband is out of town. I didn't even realize I was affected by his absence, until I started getting really bad headaches and jaw soreness in the mornings; I thought I was handling things well! I haven't even FELT stressed....but I got a mouth guard from Target and it helped; when he returned home, I put it away because the grinding had stopped! So, maybe even though he likes school, he is feeling somewhat anxious subconsciously and it is coming out through his subconscious behavior. Hard to know how to handle the stress though - kids all deal with it differently. However, I think if you give it time, it may subside because with a big change like Kindergarten, it will take some adjusting - maybe 3-6 months....and then he should fit right in! Good luck!!

Ask the dentist about a night guard. I also ground my teeth when I was young, and my teeth are in horrible shape.

L.,
It sounds a lot like allergies - food allergies. My son use to grind his teeth horribly and had eye "issues". He was diagnosed with peanut and soy allergies. He no longer grinds his teeth. But if he gets a hold of any soy, since it is very hard to control due to labeling, he has trouble with his eyes. He cannot look us in the eye, he wipes them frequently - things of that nature. That is when I know he has gotten a hold of soy. I suggest you see a reputable allergist and have him tested for food allergies very quickly to get it taken care of. You may find it has caused other things you may not have even been aware of. My husband use to grind his teeth before he found out he has an intolerance to milk. Food allergies/intolerances do more than cause a rash. I hope this helps. A.

I don't have a comment about the blinking, but do agree with the other responders that you should talk to your dentist about your son grinding his teeth and see if he/she suggests a mouth guard. I ground my teeth horribly when I was young, and think it probably contributed to my need for orthodontics and poor bite. While I don't think it was stress-induced then, it likely was as I grew up as I began to combine it (unconsciously) with clenching, and I do both in my sleep to this day. Luckily I have had a mouth guard for the past 10 years. Now I just grind the plastic instead of my teeth.

While you can get a mouth guard at any drug store, I would recommend a guard from the dentist (made from your teeth impressions). My guard from the dentist is for my lower jaw, and when it started wearing out, I bought a store-bought brand. However all of them were for the upper jaw, and even though it heat molded to my teeth, I felt uncomfortable with it on the top as I kept thinking it would come loose and I'd swallow it. Probably no risk of that, but it just made me uncomfortable. So, just something to think about. I just got a quote for a new guard at my dentist, and it is running $400 - so try to get your insurance to pay for it. But it is well worth it in the end, and will last a long time.

My son's dentist just informed me that my seven year old is grinding his teeth at night as well. He does it quietly, though, so we didn't actually know he was doing it. They are making him a mouthguard to sleep in so that he doesn't destroy his adult teeth as they come in, because he has worn down so many of his baby teeth.

Try to get your ped to request allergy testing for you. We are going in Dec. If one ped doesn't think it's necessary, I would go through the entire practice until someone will. Our PCP wouldn't, didn't think it was necessary, but the nurse practitioner we prefer to see thought it was a definitely valid request given my son's symptoms.

Good luck!

Dear L.,

I know a very good physical therapist who has advanced level training in cranial sacral therapy. This is a very light touch manual osteopathic technique. She says that from an osteopathic viewpoint when people grind their teeth it is because of a malalignment of the cranial bones. She has treated many children for various conditions such as this with much success. If your child was a vaginal birth, it is possible that he has some malalignment from the birth process that didn't correct. I would strongly recomend exploring this avenue of treatment before this escalates. It may become a lifelong problem which would predispose your child to multiple musculoskeltal, dental, neurological, and eventually psychological problems.You can Google Upledger method of Cranial Sacral Therapy, and then you can search for a therapist in your location from their website.

Sincerely
S. M