Causes of Bruxism (Teeth Grinding) in Kids

Causes of Bruxism (teeth grinding) in kids

Have you ever noticed that your child’s pearly white teeth are grinding against each other? Parents often observe a child while He/ she is sleeping and if they find their little one with this disorder it is called Bruxism. It usually happens when children are between 3-6 years of age. In some cases, children are not even aware of this disorder but they often complain of about-face and jaw pain. As per the experts, the exact reason behind this disorder is still unclear but there you can reckon that triggers Bruxism:

• Anxiety

• Pinworms

• Teething

• Malocclusion

• Allergies

As your child grows the habit of grinding teeth will stop and He/ she will develop new teeth as well. Bruxism is found in older kids when they are dealing with anxiety or stress-related issues. Symptoms of this disorder are:

• Kids face difficulty in eating and they feel pain in teeth and jaw while they chew.

• There will be plenty of chipped teeth even though your child has not had any injury or accident.

• Your little one often complains about headache, earache, jaw ache, and overall pain in the face.

• You may hear teeth grinding when your child is sleeping

• Pain in forehead

Treatment for teeth grinding that may help your little one:

• Invest ample time with your little one. Frankly ask them about stress they are dealing with studies, friends, or at school. Find some activities that you can do with your kid and can have the heart-to-heart conversation during that activity. Bring your child at ease by going for a walk or a ride with him/her.

• It is important to attend all the parent-teacher meetings and you must be aware of your child’s behavior at school. You can easily figure out the source of anxiety and cause of the problem your child is facing by having a word with your child’s school teacher.

• Anxiety in kids occurs due to numerous reasons like- deficient performance in academics, problems in making new friends, under-confident about their physical growth, etc.

• You may consult a specialist if you notice that your child is not active enough, not participating in the school activities, or having problems playing with neighboring kids.

• The damaging effects of bruxism should be discussed with a doctor and medications should be given to your child as the doctor suggests.

• Make your child learn about meditation and yoga from an early age that will help in soothing your little one.

• You can offer a pacifier to the kids below 3 years of age.