Why do children grind their teeth at night?

After having children in the family, everything parents do seems to revolve around their children. Of course, the health of children is the most important thing for a family, so some small details cannot be ignored. Some parents find that their children always grind their teeth unconsciously when they are asleep. Should this situation be treated? What causes children to grind their teeth at night?

What causes children to grind their teeth?

1. Intestinal parasitic diseases

Ascaris can irritate the stomach and intestines, 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. 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 scenes on TV at night or play too much before going to bed, which can also cause bruxism due to mental stress. 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

If children eat too much at night, a lot of food will accumulate in their intestines when they go to sleep. The gastrointestinal tract has to work overtime, and the heavy burden will cause involuntary teeth grinding while sleeping.

4. Unbalanced nutrition

Some children are picky eaters, especially those who don't like to eat vegetables, which leads to nutritional imbalance and 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 missing teeth, etc., the teeth will be underdeveloped, and the occlusal surface will be uneven when the upper and lower teeth touch, which is also the cause of nocturnal bruxism.