If you’ve got a sneaking suspicion your child is grinding their teeth at night, you’re probably right. It’s common for children to grind their teeth while they sleep and it’s important to catch it early on and prevent any damage it may cause. Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry explains bruxism and how you can protect your child’s smile from its effects.
What is Bruxism?
You may have been looking into teeth grinding and come across the term bruxism. This is the medical term for teeth grinding, and means children with this condition clench their jaws and their teeth grind against each other throughout the night while they sleep. Bruxism is very common in both children and adults.
Have you noticed your child grinds their teeth? This behavior is not uncommon for children. In fact, bruxism is one of the most common sleep disorders. While some may believe that teeth grinding in children stems from anxiety or emotional distress, most pediatric dentists suspect it is due to pain a child may be experiencing, i.e. teething, ear infection, or misalignment of teeth. Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry explains what parents need to know about this habit.
Signs of Teeth Grinding
There are a few effects of teeth grinding that you may have noticed your child exhibiting, including:
- Waking with a sore jaw
- Waking up fatigued
- Popping or clicking jaw sounds through the day
- Headaches
- Facial pain
- Chipped, cracked, worn, or sensitive teeth
Negative Effects of Teeth Grinding
Most children stop grinding their teeth around age six, however, some continue to grind in their teenage years. According to Boston Children’s Hospital, 38 percent of parents reported that their children under the age of 17 grind their teeth. If the habit persists into their teens, teeth can start to wear, chip, or become misaligned. Teeth grinding can also lead to temperature sensitivities, earaches, headaches, and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). These issues require extensive dental and orthodontic work to repair.
How to Stop Your Child from Grinding Their Teeth
While teeth grinding has not been linked to stress and anxiousness in children, these could be teeth grinding triggers for teens. Students in middle school or high school under academic stress, may grind their teeth at night. If this is the case, Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry suggests a few techniques to help them calm down before going to bed:
- take a warm bath or shower.
- read a book
- listen to calming music or white noise
- practice deep breathing techniques or yoga poses
To avoid any problems that result from teeth grinding, consult your Charlotte pediatric dentist about your child being fitted for a nighttime mouth guard. These custom mouthguards protect your child’s teeth from the grinding while they sleep.
When your child grinds their teeth through the night, they wear down the enamel and overall shape of their teeth. The grating motion can cause severe dental damage if not stopped or prevented. Teeth grinding can lead to problems with the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ. This joint allows our jaws to move up and down, back and forth, and side to side.
Is a Night Guard the Next Step?
If you believe your child is in need of a night guard to help stop teeth grinding at night, consult your pediatric dentist. While store-bought, boil-to-mold bite guards may be a cheap, easy solution for adults - this will not be so for a child. It is best to have a custom night guard made at your pediatric dentist’s office. Custom night guards are designed to fit your child’s individual teeth and mouth perfectly with impressions taken in the office. Custom night guards from Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry are designed to be durable enough to protect your child’s smile, as well as comfortable enough for a good night’s sleep.
For more questions about teeth grinding or getting a night guard for your child, contact Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry.
