I heard my 4 year old daughter grinding her teeth one night. I don't know if it's every night, but I was wondering if I should be concerned. Any advice?
S.-
I would talk to her pediatrician and dentist. I have always suffered from TMJ stemming from grinding my teeth and as an adult now, many of my teeth are cracking. Take comfort though, they are baby teeth right now.
I had my dentist make me a custom mouth guard and stopped chewing gum.
I hope this helps-
Veronica
Yes see the dentist and doctor about this, it can cause her to not only wear out her baby teeth but if it continues her adult teeth. It can also break her teeth.
My youngest son used to grind his teeth at night. The dentist said that a lot of children grind their teeth with their baby teeth, but they will stop once their permanent teeth come in. She said not to worry about it, but if we wanted to try something we could get the cheap mouth guards that kids wear for playing sports for him to wear at night. We did try it, but he had a hard time getting used to sleeping with it so we just quit. He seems to have stopped now, but it did cause a problem with one of his fillings. He kept grinding the filling material away. Anyway, it probably would be a good idea to mention it to your dentist when your daughter goes for a checkup.
I sometimes hear my 6yo son doing this too. I asked the dentist about it and he said not to worry. He said if they were doing it all night and day, then to worry. But, a little teeth grinding at night is nothing to be concerned with.
Hi S.,
My name is I. Blaess (I am a local dentist and Mommy too) - No need for concern unless there are sign of wear on the teeth- nothing can be done to stop the grinding at this age-about 50 % grow out o it when they get their adult teeth but the rest we can work on only after they stop growing (about 16 for girls). If you need a dentist for her I can be reached at work at ###-###-#### (281& 1604) or ###-###-#### (de zavala & I-10). Kids should be seen by the age of 1
Just a heads up. I took my daughter to the Dentist the other day and they asked the ages of my other children and I said 4 and 2. I told them my 4 yr old grinds his teeth BAD!!! They told me to get him ASAP because teeth grinding causes BAD Cavities. OH YEAH!!!! Just wanted to let you know.
S.
I don't know how a dentist would handle it with baby teeth, but if she gets to her permanent teeth and still does it I would definately have it checked. My husband said I was doing it and my dentist could see some wear on my teeth so now I use a fitted mouth guard that I got through my dentist. You definately don't want her wearing her permanent teeth out when she gets them.
Don't worry. The dentist said my 5 year old, who grinds his teeth in his sleep, would most likely grow out of it. Plus, he's too young and his teeth/mouth still growing and changing so they wouldn't be able to use an appliance. The teeth grinding is unsettling to hear, though. The tops of his teeth have flat edges. Just like my hubby's. And I have never heard him grind his teeth in 10 years. So, apparently, they do grow out it! :-)
Hi S.,
My son used to grind his teeth too. You can read what I did and how it worked to stop the grinding at:
In "search" type teeth grinding and see how others including myself have solved the issue.
Time to check for pinworms. That may not be the cause but it is worth checking. To check, take a flashlight when the child is sleeping soundly and look at the rectum. Do this about three hours after the child has gone to bed. You can actually see little white worms. The life cycle of pinworms is only about two weeks but the problem is transfer of the eggs to the mouth and then the cycle starts all over again. One round of medicine, stringent cleaning of bedding, pjs and underwear for a couple of weeks and it should be a thing of the past. Went through this once with our two sons at the suggestion of a friend and the advice of our physician. Best wishes.
PS: Since I read of all the adults who grind their teeth, let me tell you what I did. During the day I found myself clinching my teeth.......... stressful job. A co-worker suggested a little self talk. I began to say to myself "Lips together, teeth apart." It worked so I tried saying the same thing to myself at night before going to sleep. It worked better for me than the mouth guard. I am sure some people are not a suggestable as others but trying it if free!.... smile
I have a 7 year old that grinds her teeth. Has since she was around 2. Noticed that my youngest who is 3 started grinding her teeth last night also. Hoping it was just a fluke for her. I can't stand the grinding. Doctors and Dentist said she will outgrow but so far nothing and it has gotten worse. We use the cheap $1 mouth guards for children that the football players use. Cut off the strap coming out of them mouth and trim them down. We make a new one every Sunday and she uses it all week. By the end of the week it is all chewn up anyway. I feel for you and I wish there was something that would stop it. Some say it is overtiredness but even if she is sleeping around 9 hours a night she does it anyway. WE have noticed that she does it when hitting deep sleep. About 2 hours after going to sleep. Good luck...if you find something that works let me know !!!!!
Hi S..
If you haven't seen one already, find a Pediatric Dentist. You probably have nothing to worry about as children mostly outgow this, but it is good to get an opinion from a dentist. Often times we have a misconception that baby teeth are temporary and shouldn't need care from a dentist, when actually it is very important to get the appropriate care beginning at 1 year old. This not only introduces the child to the strange implements in his/her mouth but also insures early intervention if there is a problem for new teeth.
HTH
