DD is grinding her teeth really badly at night, is this likely to be a stage or should I take her to the dentist? Is there something they can do? Anyone else's child ever done this? DF googled and now thinks she must have terrible anxiety, but she is a pretty normal 4 year old, she is terrified if spiders though and is quite a bad sleeper. Any advice? Tia
Not too sure about advice as I'm not a parent, but I've ground my teeth in my sleep my entire life. I do it when I'm anxious/nervous. Just watch out for headaches, because it gives me huge headaches the day after.
My DS 6 grinds his teeth. It's called bruxism and it's quite common. He has always done it and he has done a bit if damage to his teeth by wearing them down, although not so much that they require treatment. You can get a splint made by your dentist which is worn at night, but they are expensive and not usually used by children. Kids teeth and jaws are constantly growing and changing and so a new splint would have to be fitted regularly. And then you have to convince the kid to wear it...!
If your DD's teeth are looking ok and she is not complaining of pain in her tempero mandibular joint (where the top and bottom jaw meet, in front of the ear) I wouldn't be too concerned, but mention it to your dentist at her next visit so he can check for any damage. If she is still grinding when her adult teeth come in (I'm assuming from your post that she is young?) then I would definitely consider a splint to prevent damage.
Grinding is not always related to stress, some people are just grinders! Often it seems to be hereditary, are either you or DF grinders?
My 7yo DS grinds. It started when he was about 4. Having a worm infestation triggered his as well as stress cause by family issues at the time. However it became a habit and off to the dentist we went where i was told there was nothing to be done (outside a splint/mouth guard etc already mentioned). That answer didnt sit well with me! As I thought there had to be SOMETHING out there! So I started my search.
I was lucky enough to tell our local compound chemist about it and he said that one possible cause of grinding is a mineral deficiency. He recommended magnesium phosphate tablets (that we gave ground up in honey) and zinc drops supplements as well as ZeoActive (both given in water) which is a supplement that helps rid the body of chemical build up. We have also slowly been changing out diet/lifestyle to reduce products that contain chemicals to avoid and reduce further chemical build-up.
All this was taken at bed time and over the space of about 10-14 days DS’s grinding reduced by around 80%. I was so surprised as I had not expected it to work! He still grinds from time to time, but his triggers are illness or stress and if we can’t see what the cause is, we give him his supplements until it subsides again. It is not a magic cure, but if it can do something to lessen his grinding, I am more than pleased and so is he.
Anyway, I would hunt down your nearest compound chemist or homeopath and get some advice outside the box. The above may not work for your DD, but it is an example of there being other ways out there that could help her situation.
Good luck with it all and I’d love to hear of your journey, so keep us updated
xo
My DS does this sometimes. I have found it mostly happens when he is way overtired or if he is coming down with something or is sick. The tiredness is the main trigger for him.
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Teeth grinding 4yo
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