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

"Sounds as bad as nails on a chalkboard!"

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 :)