When you look at your child sleeping, that last thing you want to hear
is the harsh sounds of teeth grinding, or bruxism. It’s estimated that
three out of every 10 children will grind or clench
their teeth.
“Teeth grinding is fairly common for pre-school and school-age
children ,” says Robin Onikul, DDS, pediatric dentist with Children’s
Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. “By the time children reach adolescence,
teeth grinding is usually outgrown. We see it most frequently in
special-needs children.”
Dr. Onikul says teeth grinding can be a result of a child’s upper and
lower teeth not being aligned properly. She says another major cause of
teeth grinding is stress.
“A lot of kids don’t know they are doing it,” Dr. Onikul says. “It’s
their way of coping with psychological problems that are going on in
their life at the time, whether it’s school, friends, homework or home
life. If the teeth grinding is stress induced, parents should help that
child find a way to cope with their feelings.”
Dr. Onikul says parents should look out for their child making grinding
noises in their sleep or complaining of a sore jaw or face in the
morning. If your child’s teeth grinding is making his face and jaw sore
or the teeth are being damaged, your dentist may prescribe a special
night guard.
“Many cases go undetected with no adverse effects,” Dr. Onikul
says. “If your child is grinding her teeth, mention it to her dentist
at the checkup. The dentist will want to check for worn tooth enamel,
chipped teeth or increased temperature sensitivity. But in many cases,
it only affects a child’s primary set of teeth and there usually are no
symptoms associated with bruxing except for the sound and they usually
outgrow teeth grinding by the time their adult teeth come in.”
