Why does my child grind their teeth?
Bruxism (or grinding teeth) can affect both children and adults. For most people, grinding occurs at night during sleep, and can be an unconscious habit. People who are stressed or going through a difficult time in life are more likely to grind their teeth. For myself personally, I had no idea I was grinding my teeth until I started dental school. Perhaps the stress of dental school caused me to grind my teeth, I don’t know! At any rate, it was a habit that happened at night time that I was totally unaware of. Fortunately for me, I was able to have a night guard fitted to stop further tooth wear, painful muscles, headaches and jaw problems.
In children, however, grinding can be worrisome for many parents because there isn’t an easy treatment. It wouldn’t be safe for a child to wear a night guard due to the potential choking risk. Most parents first realise their children are grinding their teeth as it can be quite loud. The child is usually totally unaware of the habit. Grinding of the teeth affects approximately 3.5-40.6% of children, this wide range is mostly due to a lack of research into this area.
While we can’t ‘treat’ grinding in children as such, it is important to know that there are certain risk factors which could contribute to reasons why a child might be grinding their teeth.
- Snoring
- Mouth breathing
- Restless sleep
- Drooling
- Stomach sleeping position
- Insufficient sleep time
If your child is grinding their teeth, think about whether any of the above factors apply to them. If they do, you could try minimising them to see if this helps the grinding to stop. As always, if you are concerned, please seek the advice of your GP.
