Teeth grinding (medically known as Bruxism is a habit that seems to
be increasing in frequency among children. Most of the kids who grind their teeth do so at
night, although some will gnaw at their teeth during the day as well. However,
since kids normally clench their teeth at night when they sleep, teeth grinding
is more evident during the night time hours and may even go unnoticed during
the day.
The exact cause of bruxism is unknown. Dentists don't really know
what turns some kids (and not others) into grinders. Parents often worry
that grinding signals tension or high anxiety, but that's not usually the
case with toddlers. Tooth grinding in toddlers usually goes away on its own
as the child gets used to having teeth.
A trip to the dentist is probably not a bad idea. He or she can check
for any evidence of wear and tear and if present, will monitor it. If there
were a significant jaw discrepancy that could be causing the grinding, that
might be a reason for some kind of intervention.
A couple of fairly recent studies report some interesting findings
regarding bruxism in children. It appears that grinding of the teeth can
occur in association with other sleep disorders such as night-time muscle
cramps, bed-wetting, colic, drooling, and sleep talking. Sleep disturbances
may be an underlying cause of these activities.
In addition, it is possible that children who are bed-wetters and
children who brux may have similar sleep patterns. Interruptions in rapid
eye movement (REM) sleep patterns may be a result of dehydration.
While tooth grinding in adults is usually a sign of stress, in kids
it is probably more of a habit than anything else. Treatment is usually not
necessary since baby teeth don't need to last that long, and it would take
some pretty hard grinding to wear them down to a worrisome level before they
were ready to come out on their own.
See also: An answer to a parent's
question
on this subject.
