My sister recently invited us for a sleepover at her house. While we chatted the night away as our babies slept, I heard her one-year-old son loudly grinding his teeth. He seemed disturbed in his sleep, and the gnashing lasted long in the night.
While Pam assured me there was no cause for alarm, it was disturbing. My second born used to grind teeth, but it only happened countable times. After consulting and researching how to make a baby stop grinding teeth, below are practical remedies to teeth grinding in babies.
Practical remedies/Tips on How to Make Your Baby Stop Grinding Teeth
There are some simple ways to make a baby stop grinding their teeth, such as use of teethers, soft teething toys and improvising a damp clean cloth alleviate pain and soothe baby’s gums. Additionally, adopting a relaxing bedtime schedule is a good way to reduces stress which causes teeth grinding in older children.
Medically known as Bruxism, teeth grinding in children is relatively normal. If your baby has been grinding teeth lately, don’t panic just yet. Ideally, the babies and toddlers eventually outgrow the condition as they become teenagers. According to Kids Health, “most kids outgrow bruxism when they lose baby teeth.”
However, if bruxing becomes chronic, frequent, and loud-especially while the baby is asleep at night, you should be concerned. Further, if your child develops teeth sensitivity, has swollen gums, tight jaws, and often cries due to tooth injuries, you need to visit a paediatric dentist for an accurate diagnosis.
Here’s more good news: I’ll take you through practical tips on how to make your baby stop grinding teeth in the segment below. Let’s explore.
How to Make a Baby Stop Grinding Teeth
Here are the practical useful tips on how to make your baby stop grinding his teeth-
- Get a teether- Your baby could be grinding teeth due to curiosity, pain, discomfort, or swollen gums during teething. Use a teether to alleviate pain and soothe the baby to sleep. Choose rubber, softwood, or silicone teethers as they’re soft for the baby to chew.
- Buy your baby a teether toy- such work great in calming swollen, painful gums. Additionally, it is relaxing as the baby can also play with it.
- Improvise homemade gum-soothing techniques- Every parent yearns to see their child’s first toothy smile. As teeth erupt, your baby might start grinding teeth.
Supporting their teething phase doesn’t have to be costly/pricey. If you can’t get a teether, put a clean piece of cloth in cool water, squeeze and then gently press against your munchkin’s gum. Do this several times for good results.
How To Make Your Baby Stop Grinding Teeth- Old Kids (Post-teething)
Older kids up to 10 years experience Bruxism due to stress and anxiety. Sleep bruxism is Dangerous at this stage as it can adversely damage their jaws and permanent teeth. Some effective remedies to stop your old baby stop grinding teeth include:
1. Help your child relax before bedtime- Essentially, a calm, stress-free child sleeps better. Sleep Foundation affirms the connection between teeth grinding and low-quality sleep. Frequently, they go hand in hand. You can help your child relax by assisting them in doing the following bedtime routines:
- Brushing teeth daily
- Take water and skip caffeinated or sugary drinks/foods. The ASA (American sleep association) states, “Bruxism may also be higher when caffeine or nicotine is consumed before sleep.
- Follow a no-screen-before-bed policy. ASA insists on no-screen one hour to sleep time.
- Read a good story together.
- Listen to, play, or sing calming music and lullabies before bedtime.
- Stretch to relax body muscles.
- Take a warm, leisurely bath-a refreshing feeling enhances sound sleep.
- Prepare the sleeping environment-dim or switch off lights to prepare them psychologically for sleeping.
2. Special night guards- As the name suggests, night guards are protective mouthpieces put on either the upper or lower jaws. They save your child’s enamel from corrosion and chipping when teeth collide. After examination, your pediatric dentist will advise you on the most suitable custom night guard for your little one. You have to use it consistently for the best results.
3. Correcting misaligned/disarranged teeth- while your baby’s teeth erupt, they may grow incorrectly, prompting teeth grinding when teeth glide over each other. Take your child to a good dentist for teeth realignment.
When Should You See A Doctor?
While Bruxism in babies is self-treating, you may need expert advice if the condition persists past your child’s sixth birthday. Most of the above remedies help parents manage the condition, but I’d advise you to visit a pediatric dentist if you observe the following symptoms:
- Loud grinding sounds, especially while asleep
- Tooth sensitivity to hot or cold foods
- Unconscious jaw clenching
- Injured, broken, flat, or chipped teeth
- Gum swelling and pain
- Baby crying often and restlessness as a result of earaches or painful temples.
- Your older child might experience difficulties when chewing food
- Disruptions in sleep patterns
These symptoms might not be reasons for you to fret, just seeing a doctor would make you medically knowledgeable on how to make your baby stop grinding teeth.
Frequently Asked Questions on how to make babies stop grinding their teeth (FAQS)
Is It Normal for Babies to Grind Teeth?
To some extent, teeth grinding is normal in babies and children below six years. Research by Seattle Childrens confirms that “50% of babies usually grind teeth.” However, there are various medical and non-medical remedies if you’re wondering how to stop your baby from grinding teeth.
Is It Normal For My Eight-year-old Autistic Child to Grind Teeth?
I assure you it is perfectly normal. The journal of prosthodontics-wiley online library found a 32% prevalence rate of Bruxism in children with autism. So, if your autistic child grinds teeth while awake, fret not.
Do Night Guards Stop My Child From Grinding Teeth Instantly?
When your dentist prescribes a night guard for the child’s Bruxism, it takes correct and consistent use for notable results.
Can a Pacifier Stop Teeth Grinding in Babies?
No, it doesn’t stop Bruxism but replaces the irritating sound of your child grinding teeth with that of them sucking on their pacifier. Let your dentist advise as pacifiers can cause jaw and tooth damage.
Teeth grinding can persist to adulthood. It causes severe damage to permanent teeth. Unlike children, stress and anxiety in adults is the primary cause. For others, Bruxism is genetic-it could be running in the family. Your dentist can help in managing the condition.
Conclusion
Medically known as Bruxism, your baby grinding teeth in their sleep shouldn’t worry you much. The condition could start as early as 6months-soon the baby gets her first tooth and could last up to the seventh year.
Experts are not yet conclusive on why babies and older children grind teeth in their sleep, while awake, or both. However, it could be teething issues, curiosity, or the language of communicating pain for babies.
In older kids, anxiety and stress are significant contributors to sleep Bruxism. Children with neurological disorders, autism, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy exhibit signs of unconscious teeth grinding while awake.
Aside from the disturbing sound of your baby’s teeth colliding, it’s commonly a passing phase. Using soft teethers/teether toys and adjusting your child’s bedtime routines are some tips on making a baby stop grinding teeth.
Further, get a qualified pediatric dentist to examine your baby for teeth chipping, cracking, flat tooth, or enamel erosion. The specialist can best diagnose and offer medical remedies such as custom night guards, teeth alignment, and medication.
Teeth grinding in babies with movement disorders such as down syndrome and autism need a doctor’s attention to treat the underlying medical condition. The Clinician will advise you on alternative medication if the current prescription causes bruxism-this is so in antidepressants or ADHD meds.
For most of my tips on how to make your baby stop grinding teeth, any parent can apply at home. Nevertheless, I recommend scheduling an appointment with your dentist if the condition gets noisy, regular, and problematic.
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