What should I do if my child grinds his teeth at night?

If we often hear rustling sounds after falling asleep in the middle of the night, we may think that there are mice or thieves and become nervous. However, this is also likely a sign of "teeth grinding". Listen carefully and see if the child in the next room is grinding his teeth again? If yes, then how to solve this problem? Let’s take a look at the solutions below!

(1) Emotional tension. It is the most common cause of bruxism. Fear, anger, hostility, resistance and other tense emotions, if for various reasons it is difficult for the patient to vent them in time, these emotions will be expressed periodically in various ways in the subconscious mind, and teeth grinding is one of the manifestations.

(2) Local factors. It is related to oral hygiene. If you eat before going to bed or there are vegetable or meat fibers left in the teeth during dinner, and you don’t brush your teeth before going to bed, the chewing muscles are likely to contract during sleep, causing bruxism. In addition, the teeth are not arranged neatly and the occlusion relationship between the upper and lower teeth is abnormal, so the position of the masticatory muscles is abnormal or in a tense state. After falling asleep, the masticatory muscles contract subconsciously, leading to nighttime bruxism.

(3) Systemic factors. Gastrointestinal dysfunction related to parasites, childhood nutritional deficiencies, allergies or endocrine disorders may be the causes of bruxism.

(4) Children with incorrect sleeping postures are accustomed to sleeping on one side. Because one side of the cheek is often pressed, the chewing muscles on both sides become uncoordinated. The muscles on the pressed side are prone to abnormal contraction and cause nocturnal bruxism.

(5) Occupation. Some types of occupations are conducive to the occurrence of bruxism. People who work in occupations that require high precision or high concentration, such as watchmakers, car drivers and athletes, are prone to bruxism. But the reason is still unclear.

The treatment of bruxism usually adopts a combination of eliminating the cause and symptomatic treatment. Adjust inappropriate bite, eliminate mental factors, especially emotions such as anxiety and depression, and maintain mental health. Those with intestinal parasitic diseases can undergo deworming treatment, and those with toothache can undergo desensitization treatment.

Through the detailed and insightful explanation above, I believe that all parents have an understanding of why children grind their teeth. Indeed, if we don't pay attention to children, they may grind their teeth after falling asleep. Therefore, parents must not relax and must take care of every detail of their children!