Bruxism, What Teeth Grinding May Mean for Your Child.
Teeth grinding is a relatively common problem for young children and it’s typically done while asleep.
Three common examples of Childhood Bruxism are:
- Teething
- Growing permanent teeth
- High stress
Baby bruxism, excessive clenching or teeth grinding, usually happens while the child is teething. Because the teeth are mostly rubbing against gums this isn’t usually a problem. Even when your baby’s teeth are rubbing against other teeth, there isn’t enough pressure behind it to become a very serious problem.
Children usually have trouble with teeth grinding when they start losing their baby teeth and their permanent teeth begin to grow in. Your child may be trying to figure out how to cope with the changes in his or her mouth, their teeth used to fit together, and the tongue was corralled by a solid wall of teeth. But, as the new teeth push out the old, there will be empty gaps and sensitive gums to explore. Then, when the new teeth grow in, they quickly outgrow the teeth around them, disrupting the fit, not only of the teeth beside them, but also changing the bite of the teeth opposite them. Everything about your child’s mouth changes, as soon as they adapt to one change, another happens, it can be uncomfortable for them.
It can also be the result of high stress in your child’s life. Children, whether they have baby teeth, big kid teeth or an adorable mix of both, can use bruxism as a coping mechanism, if they’re going through a hard time. The cause can be as normal as a having a new baby brother or sister in the family, starting school, etc. Or it can be as traumatic as losing a family member to death or divorce. Usually, the bruxism, or teeth grinding, will happen while the child is asleep, but sometimes children will consciously grind their teeth to manage tension.
Grinding or clenching their teeth is a physical manifestation of the internal tension a child may be feeling. As far as they know, grinding their teeth is invisible, inaudible, doesn’t hurt anyone and makes them feel like there is at least one thing in their life they can control.
In all of these cases, the result of bruxism will be headaches at best. Tensing all of the muscles that work your jaw, that hard and that often, will be painful for the poor kids. Teeth grinding also causes jaw pain, and can wear teeth down dangerously low.
Make sure that you are bringing your children in for their regular dental visits, we’ll be able to see the effects of bruxism early on and take the necessary steps to prevent further damage. If you notice it at home before their next appointment, you can help your child by massaging their jaw and temples to relieve some of the pressure. It would also be a good idea to make an appointment and bring them in and we’ll see em’ in the chair.
