My 4 yr old daughter has started to grind her teeth at night. Which she has never done before. She brushes her teeth and her sweets intake is limited. Any ideas?
Thank you everyone for your responses. All them offer great explanations as to why she is grinding her teeth. I will be taking her to the dentist soon as a precaution. And see what they say are my next steps.
Thanks again! I am SO grateful for this website. It makes parenthood less painful.
My daugher was a teethgrinder as well and the doctor said that it was a lack of calcium . Try giving her some vitamins. It takes about 3 weeks of doing it consistently but if it doesn't stop it can ruin her teeth...(loosen them and or cause jaw problems). Hope that helps.
My oldest is a teeth grinder. Apparently that is where she holds her stress. Is your daughter or did she have a pacifier at one time? The reason we didn't notice it earlier was because of the pacifier. She is 15 now and still does it occasionally, but now has to wear a mouthguard at night. Not sure why they do - sometimes it has something to do with wanting to suck and nothing there. I would watch and see how often, if you can. You may be able to track more when she naps, if she does, and see if it is everyday or just occasionally. I could track my daughter's to events that happened during the day - maybe too busy, not a good nap, something like that. The dentist would tell me not to be concerned. You may ask the dentist, if she sees one. He can look for certain things in their mouths too to see how often they do it.
It could be that a set of new molars is coming in. My son always grinded when he was cutting a new tooth. Another more serious cause could be sinus or allergy problems.
My kids did the same thing. My one year old sometimes does it as well. For the most part, it is not something to worry about at this age per the dentist. However, it can also be a sign of sleep apnea. One of my girls started grinding her teeth while sleeping, and I mean a lot. She also started snorig. I took her to the doc and we ended up removing her tonsils and adnoids becasue they were really large. The surgeon said we could leave them and she would grow into them but we decided that since it was a major effect on her sleep, we took them out. If this only occurs at night, I would have her checked if it continues.
I would love to find out about this as well. My 2.5 yr old son does it and has been doing so for the last 6 months at least. He sucks his thumb, but at night when the thumb is out of his mouth, his mouth is clenched tight and he grinds his teeth.
Children often grind their teeth as they grow-the teeth are searching for the correct way to fit together. It is pointless to have a mouthguard made at this age since you'd be replacing it constantly as she grows. Severe wear of the baby teeth can occur, but your dentist can monitor this at her regular 6 month check ups. The baby teeth will take the brunt of the wear, and she'll probably lose them by the time she's 12. By then, when her new teeth are in, her dentist will check her bite to make sure everything is lined up properly, and refer her to an orthodontist if there is a problem. At that time, if she's still grinding, a mouthpiece can be fitted which should last a while since her growth should have slowed down by then. Stress adds to the grinding problem, but unless there has been a major upheaval in her life, probably is less a cause at this point.
Try xylitol mouthwash and toothpaste and also silver shield.
Take her into her dentist, he will provide her with a bite guard. In many cases there is no other way to stop a person, young or old from grinding their teeth together.
The person usually does not even know they are doing it, so how can they stop. Your dentist can fit the guard right to her mouth.
S.
