Question: What should I do about my child grinding his teeth?
A: Grinding of the teeth is a common question that gets asked in our pediatric dental office by numerous parents. Most parents are referring to either the involuntary or habitual grinding of the teeth. Sometimes it occurs when the child is awake, but most often the grinding, or bruxism, happens while the child is sleeping. There are three questions that parents will ask regarding this topic:
- Is this bad?
- Why does it happen?
- What do we need to do about it?
In this blog entry, I will answer the first question, “Is grinding of the teeth bad?” In subsequent blog entries, I will answer the other two questions.
So, is grinding of the teeth bad? It depends on the age of the child and the severity of the wear on the teeth. It is very common for children under the age of 11 to grind their teeth. If the child is under the age of 11 and has mild to moderate wear on the teeth, then very little long term damage will be done to the teeth and no treatment is usually necessary. At your child’s next exam, I can help you determine the severity of the wear on the teeth.
Children that are 11 years of age and older typically have more permanent teeth than baby teeth. Grinding of teeth in this age group can be very harmful to the teeth, joints, and muscles of the head and neck. If your child has mostly permanent teeth and grinds habitually, you need to discuss this with the dentist. Treatment may be required.
Sometimes, I see patients that are under the age of 11 and have severe wear of the teeth. This situation also may require treatment. Severe wear of the teeth presents as very small teeth that are very flat across. If you feel that your child’s teeth appear to be growing smaller and smaller, please let us know.
The next blog entry will answer the question, “Why does this happen?”
