20 Teeth and Counting

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I hear my child grinding their teeth at night. Is that normal?
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I hear my child grinding their teeth at night. Is that normal?

"Sounds as bad as nails on a chalkboard!"

Smita Kumar
Jun 5, 2021
Share this post
I hear my child grinding their teeth at night. Is that normal?
20teethandcounting.substack.com

Grinding/clenching is not just an adult issue. Studies estimate that 2 out of 10 kids engage in grinding/clenching their teeth. Most kids outgrow this fairly quickly but let’s talk about when one should be concerned.

Possible causes for grinding/clenching -

  • Stress

  • Abnormal bite

  • Missing teeth

  • Pain in other parts of the face/jaw

Hazards of grinding -

  • Enamel/filling fractures

  • Increased sensitivity of teeth

  • Jaw pain/TMJ pain

  • Pain in the muscles of the face and jaw

Tips to help your child -

  • Practice good sleep hygiene - We talked about this in a previous post about snoring habits in kids. A consistent sleep schedule can help reduce stress and prevent grinding at night time. This applies to adults as well.

  • If the enamel is chipping due to a persistent grinding habit, a night guard can be made by your dentist. This would act as a buffer between the top and bottom teeth, thus preventing fractures of teeth or fillings and also jaw soreness.

  • If the cause of grinding is an abnormal bite, an orthodontist can be consulted to fix the bite.

  • Preliminary research suggests a connection between nighttime grinding and sleep apnea. It is worthwhile to rule out sleep apnea when a child is grinding excessively.

Do you clench/grind your teeth? The pandemic has everyone gritting their teeth! Let’s get vaccinated and reclaim our lives :)

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I hear my child grinding their teeth at night. Is that normal?
20teethandcounting.substack.com
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