teeth grinding

[SpencersMommy92]

I recently noticed that my son grinds his teeth while he is sleeping. He will be four on the 24th of this month. Is there anything I can do to deter him from doing this in his sleep..it sounds horrible and I am sorry worried he is going to ruin his teeth. 

[a_brown23]

My dd will be 5 next week and she grinds her teeth so badly. We asked the dentist about it and he said it is normal and will not hurt their teeth and it may actually help their new teeth grow in with less pain. I know it is horrible to hear when they grind but it is not harmful. :)

[Helpmyhusband]

I have been grinding my teeth at night for over 30 years and luckily for me it hasn't ruined mine...

I have tried night gaurds but i take them out because they are uncomfortable. My jaws tend to ache sometimes because of it too..

[SpencersMommy92]

Thanks ladies...this helps a bit...I really appreciate it. :) 

[isaboo22]

For a temp. fix, I would rub my DD jaw to get her to losen up. But when I took her to the dentist, they checked her all out and said it wasn't doing any damage and she might grow out of it. She stopped for a while, but I did hear her doing it the other night again. I have noticed it happens when she is stressed or worried. If I were you, just keep up on the dentist appts and keep the dentist updated on it too.

[JasonsMom2007]

My sons dentist says if his teeth show signs of wear because of it he will be fitted with a mouth guard but as a general rule its fine

[opinionatedmom]

 nope mine inherited it from his dad and his dads side of the family they all do it but if your worried about it buy him a mouthpiece to sleep in.

[BonitaM]

DD"s dentist said it was very common in children and that they outgrow it when they teeth because it hurts them too much.  He told me there was nothing I could do and since they were her baby teeth it wouldn't affect her.  Her first tooth came in further back than the rest and I can't help but wonder if it's because she grinds her teeth....so far it hasn't slowed down at all. :o(  I hate it.

[angziety]

The medical term is bruxism.  :)  I used to do it and I also have had TMJ disorder since elementary school.   I used mouth splints/guards but they didn't really help much.  I also used muscle relaxers and pain pills but they didn't help much either. 

It's fine as long as the teeth are not grinded down to the point of being useless (I had a friend who had this issue) or there is no pain/muscle spasms with TMJ.  :)  My mom grinds her teeth nightly and the worst thing that happens is her jaw pops when she has to open her mouth REALLY wide.  She has no pain, etc.  Just keep an eye on it.  ;)