Teeth Grinding-10m Girl

Yup, my son started doing that at about 10 months also. My pediatrician's advice was to not react to it at all, either positively or negatively. Just ignore it. He said it is a stage that many kids go through and she should stop within a couple of months (mine did) without any real damage to her teeth.

My 13 month old does it off and on too and I cannot stand the sound! I asked her ped. about it and he said that it's normal for kids to do that when they first get teeth cuz they're not used to them. He said it shouldn't last too long. So I guess I just have to deal with the sound while she gets used to these new things in her mouth...

J.,

Is this occuring only during waking hours? or does she do this in her sleep as well? My husband had serious problems grinding his teeth at night, it would sound like he was biting a hard piece of candy. I looked into the matter and found that its called bruxism, and it's linked to a vitamin A deficiency. However, if she is only doing it when she's awake, it may just simply be a new experience with her brand new teeth so perhaps something safe and fun to bite down on could be more entertaining and distracting!

Hope this helps!

My 4 yr old grinds his teeth in his sleep. I did ask our dentist about it and he told me that it is normal for young kids to do this & that they usually outgrow it. They can fit the child for a mouth piece but because little kids grow & change so much it is not worth the cost. I hope that helps a little.

Both our boys did that just because they could. They both outgrew fairly quickly once the novelty wore off.

Hi J.. I am a newly graduated dentist so I looked up your problem to be sure I had my information correct. Here is what my Pediatric Dentistry book has to say:

Treatment should begin with simple measures. Occlusal interferences should be identified and equilibrated if necessary. If occlusal interferences are not located or equilibration is not successful, referral to appropriate medical personnel should be considered to rule out any systemic problems. If neither of these two steps is successful, a mouthguard-like appliance can be constructed of soft plastic to protect the teeth and discourage the grinding habit. If the habit is thought to be due to psychological factors, which is unlikely, referral to a child development expert is warranted. Rarely, occlusal wear is so extensive that stainless steel crowns are needed to prevent pulpal exposure or eliminate tooth sensitivity.

So there you have it. The most recent text edition of Pediatric Dentistry as taught at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. If the grinding doesn't resolve on its own, check with your dentist to see if there are any interferences that can be relieved (a tiny bit of grinding - no injections/no pain) or a mouthguard if her teeth are wearing faster than her natural tooth structure is replaced (not likely necessary). If you want to contact me for further questions I would be happy to respond. Dr G.

I know exactly what you mean about the sound, my 15 month daughter does the same thing so bad it only seems to happen when she has teeth coming through, she has 4 on top 2 on bottom and 2 back teeth coming in, one on each side on the top so just recently she started gridding them again, when I hear her doing it I touch her teeth and tell her stop please, no no over and over and over, she doesn't always stop right away but I think if I keep repeating my self she gets it eventually because she will quit after so long.

I have to admit this is the most annoying thing babies can do at this age! Both my twins did it as soon as those top teeth were through, and I would just cringe every time. I tried to stop them, but it would only work for a couple minutes. With my kids, they stopped on their own after a few weeks. I don't remember how long exactly it went on for, but it wasn't really very long. Wait and see if she stops on her own, and if she doesn't then I would ask a dentist; side note on the dentist, ours doesn't recommend bringing the kids in until about 18 mos. because there just isn't really anything they can do before then.

My youngest son did that for two years. I don't really have advice about it except that he quit. It is an annoying sound. But I don't think you can really stop it. My oldest did it two but lost one of the upper teeth before he was two and then it stopped. I think it's just because they are feeling them.

Hi J.,

Actually, my daughter (now 8 1/2 yrs old) started doing this when she was 2 and hasn't stopped. According to both our dentist and our pediatric dentist (Mark Kramer, whom we love) this is not uncommon in kids. Many will outgrow it when their adult teeth come in. There's not much you can do about it now. Baby teeth are soft and if she keeps it up, they will grind down a bit as she grows. But her jaw is still developing so she can't wear something like a stint/mouthguard. Adult teeth are much stronger and hopefully she will outgrow this. Dr Kramer is monitoring my daughter's teeth as her adult teeth are coming in and if she keeps the grinding up, he may put her in a stint/mouthguard at night. It IS a horrible sound (drives my husband insane if he hears it). But both my husband and I clench & grind at night so we both wear mouthguards. I think you'll just have to deal with it as your daughter gets older.

M.

Does she grind them in the day or night? If it is the day, she is just doing it out of habit. Each time she does it, just put a stop to it. Eventually she will probably stop. If she does it at night, well, you have a different problem. There is nothing you can do about it! I grind MY teeth at night, and have done since I was a small girl or maybe baby? The best you can do is at some point (you can ask your dentist when is the best time), you will have to get her a mouth gaurd that she will wear at night. I actually only got mine just a few years ago. The goal is to not let her grind her teeth so far down it exposes the next layer. That is the real danger.
It is a habit that is not fun, especially at girl's camp! But there is really nothing you can do about it that I am aware, if it is something she does at night. If it is in the daytime, I would definitely just put a stop to it! It is just a bad habit and I would say you can have some control over it.
Good luck!

I don't have any advice for you, but I am having the same problem. My 21 month old has 16 teeth and loves to grind them! I think she likes the sound. Let me know what you find out, because I could use some good advice, too! :)

YES! Both of my kids did this. The best thing to do, is ignore it and distract her. IT is irratating, you think they are going to break their teeth I KNOW! :) However, she just discovered them and it is a cool new thing. If you react she will just do it more. It is very normal! When she hits the 12 mos mark, take her to get her teeth checked, it is very important to start early so they have no fear of the dentist and get used to it. My four year old on occassion will still do it and I have to get up and walk out of the room! I can at least explain he is breaking his teeth...! :) Good luck and don't worry too much about it.

teeth grinding at this age is very normal. they are getting used to have these darn things in their mouth, experimenting with what they can do, and i think they kinds like that they cna make sounds. as long as it stops within a few more months, I wouldn't worry about it. and i wouldn't bother taking her to the dentist for at least another 6-8 months. We go to a pediatric dentist, and he doesn't even really do anything with them at that age. it is really just to make sure their teeth are growing, and get them used to going.