A child grinds his teeth in his sleep: the main reasons. Causes of children's teeth grinding during the day: provoking factors and treatment

First of all, you need to put aside false reasons. Famous children's doctor E. O. Komarovsky believes that bruxism itself does not pose any danger to the child’s health and does not indicate any serious problems. Komarovsky believes that there are no scientific and medical reasons Believe that teeth grinding indicates that the child has worms.

Although for some reason this statement is at the top possible reasons bruxism. E. O. Komarovsky says that he himself does not understand where such a superstition came from, but completely different symptoms signal worms. It is impossible to ignore the daily grinding noise. Dr. Komarovsky warns that prolonged bruxism can lead to dental diseases.

If we talk about the true reasons for this deviation, then first of all we need to remember about teething. By 10 months to 1 year, children already have their first teeth. For them, this condition is new and incomprehensible, so with such friction they are simply trying to study the teeth and get used to them.

Also, when teething, babies experience pain and itching. This is another cause of bruxism. In children older than one year, a permanent bite is already beginning to form. In case of violations of the closure of the upper and lower jaw appears night rattle

teeth, which can manifest itself during the day. An experienced dentist will help confirm or refute such a guess. Heredity plays an important role in this situation. If one of the parents in childhood had the habit of grinding their teeth, then it is possible that the child will also have such a desire.

Why are active and emotional children more likely to suffer from bruxism? Sometimes an involuntary grinding sound appears during a period of nervous overstrain. A child may be affected by a small quarrel with peers on the playground, moralizing by parents about a broken vase, or an unpurchased toy. It should also be noted that daytime bruxism is an age-related phenomenon. Most often, children begin to grind their teeth at 2-3 years of age. By the age of 6, this habit disappears in most cases. As a rule, bruxism accompanies boys.

Video “How to treat bruxism in children”

Now that you know why your baby grinds his teeth, you can think about what to do next. Often, bruxism goes away on its own in a short period of time and nothing needs to be done about it. Dr. Komarovsky also recommends waiting for the baby to get rid of a bad habit without permission. This attitude to this problem is due to the fact that Komarovsky does not consider this phenomenon a disease.

But if you notice that one episode lasts more than 10 seconds or the grinding periodically repeats for more than several months or even 1 year, then we suggest using one of the tips.

First of all, try to analyze and normalize the atmosphere in the family. Do not swear in front of your child or raise your voice at him. Remove from your diet all foods that excite the nervous system (chocolate, black and green tea, coffee).

In addition, make sure that your baby gets enough calcium. Children over 10 months can already use dairy products(kefir, cottage cheese, homemade yogurt without additives). In fact, for some reason, children grind their teeth more often during their sleep at night than during the day. If the problem is severe and the grinding is persistent, seek help from your dentist. From the age of 1, a child can be prescribed protective mouth guards that will prevent the enamel from being erased.

If attacks of bruxism are provoked by hypertonicity masticatory muscles, seek help from a gnathologist. He will examine the baby for the presence of local inflammation and prescribe optimal therapy. In the most difficult cases, children are prescribed muscle relaxants for relaxation. jaw joints. It is prohibited to use such means yourself.

Video “Why is your baby grinding his teeth”

In this episode of the popular program, you will learn what this disease is, as well as how to rid your child of such a bad habit.

Often, after the baby has a few baby teeth, parents begin to notice that their beloved child sometimes grinds them. This worries many moms and dads, and, by the way, for good reason. There are several reasons for this phenomenon. We will try to explain why a child grinds his teeth during the day, and also offer some tips.

Why does a child grind his teeth during the day?

When one year old baby the first teeth appear, he has new sensations when rubbing these necessary formations. The toddler is simply interested in how they “sound” when touched. Most often this is why one year old child Grits his teeth during the day. Over time, he will get used to them and stop frightening his family.

It is not uncommon for children under the age of three to clench their teeth together to relieve itching and painful sensations in the gums as they erupt. As soon as the tooth appears and stops bothering you, the babies stop making these unusual sounds.

The reason why a baby grinds his teeth during the day may be his expression of negative emotions when he is capricious or angry, or due to nervous tension or stress.

If your child also begins to grind his teeth, we strongly recommend that you show him pediatric dentist. The fact is that before the age of three, the final formation of the jaw occurs in children. And the appearance of a squeak may indicate an incorrect bite.

If your child grinds his teeth during the day...

If your baby makes such sounds from time to time, pediatricians usually advise distracting the toddler from this action. Baby teeth are very fragile, and constant such manipulations can lead to destruction of the enamel, and then the tooth itself. It’s better to invite your child to play or read a book. And if a tooth is erupting, smear its gum with a special

A condition in which Small child clenches the jaw and produces unpleasant grinding of teeth, called bruxism. It is most often observed in children preschool age: Rarely appears at older ages. It is clear that parents are concerned about the causes of this phenomenon and measures to combat it.

Causes of children's teeth grinding

One of the reasons for grinding may be the eruption of baby teeth. This process so painful that it causes anxiety and crying in the baby: he tries in any way to get rid of discomfort and scratch your gums. During this period, he drags into his mouth everything that comes to his hand, and can also tightly close his jaws and scratch one gum against the other. If a child grinds his teeth in his sleep, the reasons may be due to a lack of muscle activity during the day. Pediatricians recommend offering your baby solid food to stimulate muscle function - bagels, carrots, apples, etc.

The baby grows, his character develops, and it happens that he can express dissatisfaction with some actions by grinding his teeth. This phenomenon is often a consequence of overexcitation of the nervous system: psyche small child She is still too weak and easily stressed. It can be triggered by unnecessary daytime experiences, for example, going to visit, some kind of holiday with the participation of large quantity people, etc. shortly before bedtime can also cause similar unpleasant consequences.

Why does a child grind his teeth? Stressful situation Weaning from the breast or pacifier and switching to food that is familiar to all people can also create this problem. A turbulent environment in the house, where parents constantly argue, and the mother leaves the baby with the grandmother or nanny for a long time, may not have the best effect on his emotional state, and the baby will begin to grind his teeth. Bruxism often occurs against the background of another disease, most often associated with respiratory failure. Enlarged adenoids, enlarged polyps and all kinds of sinusitis often go hand in hand with bruxism.

If your baby grinds his teeth in his sleep, the doctor may prescribe him a vitamin-mineral complex. Calcium, magnesium and magnesium can be of particular benefit, because it is the lack of these microelements that causes pathological spasms of the jaw muscles during sleep. In turn, parents should do everything to make the baby feel safe and less nervous and worried about any reason. It is especially important to create psychological comfort in the evening. Replace watching cartoons with reading books. You can turn on calm classical music and just chat.

Children with mobility nervous system need to adhere to a daily routine. Parents should ensure that meals and nap occurred at the same time. If the baby does not tolerate places with large crowds of people, then such communication and walks should be stopped. Put your child to bed early and stay close until he falls asleep. All these measures should bear fruit and after a short time the baby will stop grinding his teeth.

Bruxism is a fairly common problem, which is understood as either during the day.

Most often it occurs in childhood.

Parents who are concerned about this phenomenon should immediately contact doctors with questions about why the child grinds his teeth during the day, whether this indicates problems in the baby’s body, and what actions need to be taken.

Causes

Sometimes even to an experienced doctor hard to install the real reason why children grind their teeth during the day. Moreover, the examination does not always show any deviations.

So, of the most common factors that can provoke bruxism, it is worth highlighting the following:

Plays an important role hereditary predisposition. A daughter or son can inherit a similar feature from one of the parents. However, there is no need to worry about this. The child will forget about this habit over time.

The connection between teeth grinding and helminths

Teeth grinding in children is often associated with helminthic infestation.

However, this belief is outdated and does not find scientific evidence in our time.

This point of view is shared by older people.

Mentions also appear in folk medicine. In order to believe the fact that there is no analogy between bruxism and helminth infection, you need to understand where such a myth arose.

So, the factors that refute the theory of the connection between bruxism and helminthic infestation include:

A number of factors confirming the assumption under consideration are also identified.

Not all young mothers and fathers know that medications, intended to combat worms, are toxic. That is why the most suitable and safe remedy Only a specialist can choose.

Health Hazard

If your baby grinds his teeth for a short period of time, then there is no need to worry.

When bruxism has become a common occurrence, the child may experience the following unpleasant consequences:

  • at the age of two years, tooth enamel is still very weak and can be easily damaged and destroyed;
  • epilepsy;
  • numbness of the jaw;
  • in the process of constant friction, the tooth may become loose and sensitivity may increase;
  • except pain the baby is at risk of getting sick or;
  • constant tension in the muscles of the face and jaw causes severe headaches;
  • a long-term phenomenon under consideration (for example, 2-3 years) can lead to a violation of the integrity of the joints, chronic inflammatory processes And improper growth dentition;
  • Not only the teeth, but also the surrounding soft tissues can be injured.

Doctors will help you identify emerging problems early in their development and take action:

There is no cure for teeth grinding in a child. complex process. In addition, it is painless and does not require special expensive medications. Treatment methods depend on the cause of the abnormality.

Action plan: how to treat?

Once the cause of a bad childhood habit has been identified, treatment should begin. decisive action. Despite the fact that the pathology is common among young patients, it is still difficult for young parents to cope with worries and worries about their baby.

You can often hear complaints from parents that child grinds teeth during the day or at night, while complaining of. Moreover, the sounds are sometimes truly heartbreaking. And parents simply cannot help but worry when they hear a terrible grinding sound from the children's room.

Causes of teeth grinding

The most common, and at the same time - erroneous opinion, it is believed that the baby grinds his teeth due to helminth damage to the body. But in most cases, the theory so popular among our grandmothers is not confirmed.

Doctors call teeth grinding bruxism, and the reasons that cause this phenomenon are quite varied.

Very often, bruxism develops in a child at two or three years old, and then completely disappears before the end of the preschool period. But it happens that schoolchildren, teenagers and even adults grind their teeth. True, coming out of childhood, people make such sounds only at night, that is, the creaking becomes completely unconscious.

Most often, creaking bruxism, both in childhood and in adulthood, is caused by various emotional problems, stress, and the inability to express negative emotions etc. Very often this is precisely the reason Why does a child grind his teeth during the day?, and adults only at night. The child’s psyche is still very delicate, it is more difficult for him to hide his condition, for children the line between the conscious and the unconscious is too thin, and while an adult can successfully suppress his emotions during the day, this is not always possible for young children.

Another reason is hereditary predisposition. If one of the child’s parents suffered from bruxism, then most likely a similar phenomenon will be observed in the baby. In such cases, teeth grinding becomes a kind of individual reaction to some irritants.

An incorrect bite can be the cause of teeth grinding at any age, but if in adults bruxism manifests itself at moments when the jaw relaxes, then children struggle with excessive tooth grinding. muscle tension which is caused by the incorrect position of the teeth in the mouth. They seem to be trying to grind their teeth against each other, and such “grinding in” can occur as in daytime, and during night sleep.

If a child experiences bruxism, the first thing you should do is see a dentist. The doctor will help identify pathologies dental system, and if necessary, he will recommend using special veneers that will protect the baby’s teeth from abrasion until the problem is solved.

As we see, the reasons why do people grind their teeth at night?, and the child does quite a lot during the daytime. But there are also specific “childish” causes of bruxism. These include teething: the baby grinds his teeth against each other to relieve the itching and pain in his gums that bothers him. And in some cases, bruxism is simply a consequence of the child’s exploration of his own body and its capabilities. At some point, the baby accidentally made a grinding sound that he liked, and then began to deliberately reproduce it.

What to do if your child grinds his teeth during the day or while sleeping

Observe the child’s emotional state, maybe something is worrying or depressing him, maybe he receives too many impressions during the day or is overloaded extra classes. Try to eliminate stimulating factors.

If creaks are heard mainly at night, then try using various soothing procedures before bed: a warm bath with valerian decoction, leisurely walks on the fresh air, quiet activities, quiet music, etc.

Increase the load on the jaws, give your baby more solid food, mainly fresh fruits and vegetables that need to be chewed.

If the problem is teething, then you can massage the baby’s gums, use a special gel that relieves itching and pain, and give the baby a rubber teether.

If the baby just likes to make grinding sounds, try to distract his attention, and if the child is big enough, then you should explain why you can’t have fun in this way.

In most cases, childhood bruxism goes away over time, but it is best to find out the reasons for the creaking and help the child cope with the habit that is destroying his teeth.