Question:
My five year old son has started to grind his teeth (very noisily) at night
while he is sleeping. Is this stress related or just a phase?? I recall
seeing some recent discussion here but unfortunately it has rolled off my
server.
Answer:
Happens as lot with little guys as they are getting
ready to shed their baby teeth. Lots of things are happening up there in
the jawbones. Baby roots are dissolving, leaving some pretty sharp
points on the baby teeth, and the permanent teeth are right there above them
pushing down. Can't say it ain't stress because that is a major
contributor with adult "bruxers", but with five-year-olds it's largely
associated with teething.
My five year old son has started to grind his teeth (very noisily) at night
while he is sleeping. Is this stress related or just a phase?? I recall
seeing some recent discussion here but unfortunately it has rolled off my
server.
I am a general dentist who treats children as well
as adults. Fort your questions, however, I wanted to be
sure that I gave you the correct info. So, I asked a friend
of mine, a pediatric dentist. He advised that 99% of children
sometime between the ages of 2 and 6 grind their teeth as your
son is doing. The habit is usually discontinued shortly after
eruption of the first permanent tooth(teeth) around the age of 6.
Only if the habit continues for an extended period of time beyohond
this should you be concerned. So, in short, our son is normal!
