What to do when children like to grind their teeth?

This is an automatically translated article.

Teeth grinding is a habit that can be encountered at any age, especially children who like to grind their teeth while sleeping. This phenomenon is common in preschool age. So if children like to grind their teeth, what should parents do to overcome them?

1. The reason why children grind their teeth while sleeping

Teeth grinding while sleeping is a common phenomenon in people who are often stressed, tired at work or more seriously this is a sign of a neurological disorder. Usually this phenomenon does not cause dangerous effects on health. However, teeth grinding while sleeping, if it occurs with high frequency and lasts for many days, still has the potential to have a negative impact on the nervous system.
In particular, children often grind their teeth when sleeping is a condition that needs special attention from parents. The phenomenon of children grinding their teeth while sleeping often can have a negative impact, affecting the baby's activities and eating habits. Some other symptoms often accompany the condition that children like to grind their teeth while sleeping, including:
Baby has chipped teeth for no reason; Signs of jaw pain, ear pain, dull pain in the forehead or even body aches; Older children have difficulty chewing and digesting food. Currently, it is not known exactly what causes children to grind their teeth while sleeping. However, children who like to grind their teeth in general are still associated with a number of risk factors, both objective and subjective. In which, there are some possible causes of teeth grinding when babies sleep:
Psychological instability: This is considered the main reason why children like to grind their teeth while sleeping. In young children, it is not uncommon to change different emotional states. Your baby may be having a good time playing and suddenly become upset or upset right away for some simple reason. Psychological instability, easily affected and sudden changes can affect the nervous system of young children, thereby causing the appearance of teeth grinding when sleeping; Misaligned bite : Studies have shown that children with malocclusion often grind their teeth while sleeping at a higher rate than normal children; Children grind their teeth while sleeping due to teething process: The teething period begins to cause pain and discomfort when the child wakes up, and at night, there will be a phenomenon of teeth grinding to feel more comfortable;

Children grinding their teeth while sleeping can be a side effect of some medications that children use, especially antidepressants or antipsychotics ...).
This phenomenon lasts a long time will lead to a number of complications such as:
More serious tooth decay due to tooth wear; Extrusion of tooth pulp; Cracked or even fractured jawbone; Risk of temporomandibular joint disorder syndrome; Teeth are more sensitive due to erosion of the enamel layer.

2. What should parents do when children like to grind their teeth?

Babies often grind their teeth, causing unpleasant sounds to family members. The habit of grinding and clenching your teeth at night can in the long run wear down your teeth, break them, make your teeth more sensitive to heat, cause severe facial pain, and jaw problems like temporo-mandibular syndrome (TemporoMandibular) Joint - TMJ).
If parents notice their child grinding their teeth, try giving them a chewable toy like a toy made of natural rubber or silicone that is free of harmful chemicals.
Besides, parents can create things that children can chew. For example, parents can moisten a dry towel, then fold it in four. Then, make a towel in the freezer and give it to your baby to chew on. The coldness and hardness of the towel can help your baby feel more comfortable during the teething period.
Many parents wonder what to do to help their children give up the habit of grinding their teeth while sleeping or limit the impact of this phenomenon on oral health. Like any other problem, to cure a disease, we need to find the cause of the disease. Therefore, parents should find out what problems their children are having that lead to the phenomenon of children grinding their teeth while sleeping.
If the child's psychology is tense and unstable: Parents should take measures to solve problems with their children that have a negative impact on the psyche. Parents can tell stories, sing lullabies or talk to their children, sleep with them to make them feel more comfortable when sleeping and limit the child's teeth grinding; If the child can not stop grinding teeth while sleeping, or when the child shows signs of pain or complications occur, parents need to quickly take the child to the dentist. There are now a number of special mouthguards that can fit snugly against the teeth to prevent permanent tooth damage in children who like to grind their teeth; For babies whose teeth do not align properly, the dentist may have to grind the teeth to make them fit together. Older children who have a habit of grinding their teeth during sleep for a long time can be given a tooth guard at night. This device is made of plastic, which can be compatible with the oral cavity to limit biting and grinding of teeth during sleep. However, this method is only considered in children with at least 5 permanent teeth or when the child is 5 years old.

Many children grind their teeth spontaneously and do not need treatment because complications occurring at this age are very rare. However, if older children have teeth grinding, they need to be closely monitored to ensure that there is no permanent tooth damage. Children can suffer from temporomandibular joint disorders due to the habit of often clenching their jaws when they grind their teeth.

3. Preventing children from grinding their teeth

In some cases, teeth grinding is a child's natural response to growth and development, so it's largely unstoppable. However, if children are often stressed, parents should find ways to talk to their children regularly to help them release emotions, solve stressful problems, and reduce the risk of teeth grinding. In addition, parents should also take their children to see a dentist to check for dental problems, ensure their bite helps children have maximum chewing power and limit teeth grinding.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.