The reason why a 4-year-old grinds his teeth at night

For young babies, they will have a lot of energy to be active during the day, and generally have a good sleep at night. However, parents will be more worried once the baby starts to grind their teeth. The phenomenon of teeth grinding has occurred in many people, so don’t be too anxious. Next, we will introduce in detail the reasons why 4-year-olds grind their teeth when sleeping at night.

1. Intestinal parasitic diseases: The toxins produced by roundworms stimulate the intestines, which can speed up intestinal peristalsis, causing indigestion, pain around the navel, and restless sleep. If the toxins stimulate the nerves and make them excited, it can lead to teeth grinding. Pinworms also secrete toxins and cause anal itching, affecting children's sleep and causing teeth grinding sounds. Most parents believe that the culprit of teeth grinding is parasites, but in recent years, due to improved hygiene habits and conditions, teeth grinding caused by parasites has taken a back seat.

2. Excessive mental stress. Many children watch thrilling fighting TV shows at night or play too much before going to bed. Mental stress can also cause teeth grinding. If you are scolded by your parents for a long time because of something, it will cause depression, uneasiness and anxiety, which is also an important reason for nocturnal teeth grinding.

3. Digestive dysfunction. Children eat too much at night, and a lot of food accumulates in the intestines when they go to sleep. The gastrointestinal tract has to work overtime. Due to the heavy burden, it will cause involuntary teeth grinding while sleeping.

4. Nutritional imbalance: Some children are picky eaters, especially those who don’t like to eat vegetables, which leads to nutritional imbalance and causes deficiency of calcium, phosphorus, various vitamins and trace elements, causing involuntary contraction of the facial chewing muscles at night, and grinding of the teeth back and forth.

5. Poor tooth growth and development During the period of tooth replacement, if a child suffers from rickets, malnutrition, congenital individual tooth loss, etc., the teeth will be poorly developed, and the occlusal surface will be uneven when the upper and lower teeth contact, which is also the cause of nocturnal bruxism.

The above content is an introduction to the reasons why 4-year-olds grind their teeth while sleeping at night. Since there are many factors that cause this phenomenon, parents should not blindly choose medications or treatment plans for their children. They must provide their children with some relatively gentle treatments under the advice of professional doctors and medical institutions.