Teeth Grinding
Teeth grinding can be a worrying thing when it happens in children.
Fortunately, it is virtually never harmful or a reason to become worried, though it can prove to be annoying and disruptive for other children if they’re sharing an affected sibling’s bedroom!
What is “teeth grinding”?
Teeth grinding is also known by the rather ugly technical name of “bruxism”.
It can affect some adults but it is typically found in younger children. As the name suggests, it usually involves the child gripping their jaws tightly together and then grinding their teeth. This is most commonly seen at night when the child is asleep or dozing but some children also do it when they’re awake and seemingly otherwise occupied.
The noise generated can be surprisingly loud and alarming for others.
Why it happens
As with so many childhood development issues, the causes are largely unknown.
When it happens at night, as they’re asleep, the children have no knowledge that they’re grinding their teeth and understandably have no memory of it the following morning. So, no explanations are forthcoming.
Even when it happens during the day, the children are often totally unaware they’re doing so.
Child health specialists speculate that it happens because:
- the children have some very low-level pain or discomfort in their teeth that normally is below their threshold of notice but when asleep, they’re subconsciously trying to alleviate the symptoms;
- the child is stressed;
- their top and bottom teeth aren’t correctly aligned.
In a small number of cases, some children that grind their teeth during waking hours have indicated that they simply enjoy doing so. However, even some adults who do so during the day are unaware they’re doing so and therefore can’t explain it other than being due to ‘habit’.
It is, therefore, largely a mystery in terms of the ‘why’.
Myths
Contrary to the wisdom of many generations of at least some grandmothers, there seems to be NO link to:
- stopping bottle-feeding or breastfeeding too young;
- the child being hungry;
- the removal of dummies (comforters);
- bedwetting;
- Vitamin or other dietary deficiencies;
- unhappiness overall (though there may, in some instances, be a link to stress).
Risks
In the vast majority of cases, there are absolutely no risks associated with this phenomenon. Many children simply rapidly grow out of it with no ill effects. In most such circumstances, even the child’s sleep is unaffected, though as mentioned at the outset, it might be a nuisance issue for others trying to sleep in the same room.
It’s very rare but at times, the grinding may become so intensive that the teeth may suffer some damage. If you believe that to be happening, a quick consultation with your dentist may be beneficial and a dental apparatus may possibly be fitted to help.
Disguised symptom
In some relatively rare cases, teeth grinding may be a secondary or tertiary symptom of another medical condition.
If it is accompanied by loud snoring, wheezing, disturbed sleep and seemingly gasping for air, it might indicate conditions such as sleep apnoea (difficulties in breathing correctly when asleep), asthma or sinus infections.
A quick trip to the doctor will normally ascertain whether any of these other conditions are possible causes.
