teeth grinding...what is going on?

[Staci]

Aidan is grinding his teeth BAD! Augh, it makes me ill listening to him grind away all day and not knowing why he does it and what to do for it! Does anyone else's kids grind their teeth all day long and have an idea what can be done? I am absolutely clueless and need advice! I hear you all talking about sensory input, etc, and was wondering if this could be Aidan's problem, but I have no idea how to help him. Do dentists recommend a mouth guard or something at this young age? Please help me help my guy! Thanks!

[PaigesMom]

OMG, Staci, it always seems like Aidan and Paige could be twins. She has just started grinding her teeth like mad AGAIN, about a month ago. It started off slow, but now it's a constant thing. I say "no teeth", but I don't even think she realizes she's doing it, and I am serious. She seems surprised each and every time I say it to her, and her younger brother is now also saying it to her as well.

I have no idea why. The pediatrician says it wont hurt her teeth. ST and OT say it is sensory, but WHY NOW, what else is going on different?

I totally feel your pain. I'm looking for answers on this currently right now, so if I come upon any, I'll be sure to share.

Hope everything is going great with you!

Debbie

[Deannalee]

Justin is only 23 mos old and does the horrible, spine wrenching, blood curdling teeth grinding too. I know he has been getting his molars in for a bit now....they all have broken through but have a little more to grow in. He also loves to bang on his chin. I am not sure if the teething pain is relieved by the grinding or not. NOW....my daughter started grinding her teeth about 4 or 5. It did not stop until she got braces put on last year. She had a bite that was off, so she would grind her teeth....a subconscious way to *try* to fix the misalignment. They did not offer a mouth guard for her then, maybe they will for you guys. BTW, my daughter is 11.....that was a long time to hear that noise. It was so peaceful until I got hit with it again. Oh well, this too shall pass....I just hope a little faster this time. UGH!!!! Awful sound. Good luck!!!


Deanna

[Tammy]

Lewis grinds his teeth while he sleeps...
so bad that his front teeth have worn right down to tiny stumps and look AWFUL !!

Our dentist has said that at this point, as they are baby teeth, to not worry too much...unless they seem to be causing him pain or discomfort...ie; sensitive to hot or cold etc.
They also suggested we try using a small size mouthguard at night while he sleeps...
Keep it in his mouth?? Yeah Right!! He wont even let me put it in there let alone keep it there!!

Once his adult teeth start coming through though we will have to MAKE him wear the mouthguard or he will do the same to them...
NOT looking forward to that...

[Becky]

Justin just had dental surgery last Thursday, he had to have 12 growns.
Justins doc said he had no molars left at all, Justin had them ground all the way off, he also said he had the enamel ground off all his teeth, we knew he was in alot of pain, now we knew why.
He is getting use to his new teeth and he isnt so crumpy anymore and eating more then he use to which was alot.
Not sure why he does it, he still does grind but not like he use to.
Becky

[Alice]

OMG, We have the same problem.
Luke is grinding his back teeth not all the time, but when he needs attention, nervous, or tiered... (Speech delay?).

Our speech therapist recommends to make some (trying to explain) squeeze his head with 2 hands one on the back and another on his chin, and also squeeze his hicks where his back teeth are.

I am very concern that he will grind them away.

Did any one try a chewing gum?

Alice

[jeannie]

wish i saw this post. i just posted the same topic on the other board. i am going through the same thing with my little guy. i was wondering do your kids like their teeth brushed?? my son hates it! i'm wondering if i should make him a few more times a day? i have to pin him down just 2 brush his teeth once a day! oh well just a thought?

[Jessie]

Jason used to grind his teeth and hated brushing them also. He doesn't grind anymore, but lately he's been "chewing" on his fingers, sticking them in the back of his mouth and chewing. Very gross!

However, he does now brush his teeth on his own. When he is done he gets a big cheesey smile so we can see how "pretty" his teeth are.

It was a challenge getting him to this point, he is 11 and he's just now over the last few months gotten to this point of accepting the fact that he is going to brush his teeth everyday.

One thing that did help was letting him be in control of the situation by getting his toothbrush wet and putting the toothpaste on himself. He used to just put a dab on but now puts as much on as any adult would.


Jessie

[Staci]

Thanks you guys! It is the most awful, nails on a chalkboard type of sound! I have noticed that Aidan does it more often when he's not feeling well. But he seems fine and healthy as can be right now, so I don't know why all of a sudden doing it allllllll day long! He has been a bit constipated, maybe this is the problem, I dunno. I think it's his front teeth that he is grinding, and his teeth aren't aligned...maybe that is why! His front top teeth, one of them is ground down a bit...yikes! He LOVES to brush his teeth, though...he brushes them several times throughout the day (with my help, he's not THAT good at it yet ). He is due to have an appt with the dentist again soon, I'm going to go ahead and call...although I don't like our dentist, need to find a new one!

Debbie, it's good to "see" you around here again! I've missed you! How is Paige doing on her diet? Good, I hope!

Anyway...thanks again! If anyone learns more about this, Debbie, like you said you were looking into things, let me know!!

Staci

[momofrussell]

Russell use to grind his teeth, from around hmmmm 18 months to 3-4 yrs old I would say... probably more like to 3 yrs old. He did it lots but would subside at times and start up again... we suspected it was when he teethed, as did the PT. After Russell got all of his teeth in he didn't grind anymore.

And yes... it WAS LOUD!!!!!!!

A.

[carolyn]

I have posted this before I think, but John used to grind his teeth- drove me totally nuts- after talking with his PT/OT they recommended lots of heavy work- meaning working his gross motor skills. Lots of swinging ( we put a swing in the basement) and lots of squeezing of his arm and legs muscles. Grinding for John represented 2 things, boredom and over stimulation. He is a kid who needs lots of outside time- even in this cold weather, and limited tv time, and we find he is more even tempered. He quit grinding once we figured out how to not let him get started. As soon as he would start grinding we went right down stairs and turned on his music and he would swing and swing- He swings superman style, on his tummy so his legs and arms get a good work out. Also we put his trike down there so he can ride that too. The music is very motivating to him- thats kinda how we get him to go down there. On a thread about self stim someone else mentioned how self stim is a kind of "high", and I totally agree- redirecting is key- and for John keeping a balance of quiet activies and physical activities is super important. I really can't allow him to spend too long playing on the computer or watching tv- as he can't be counted on to know when he has had enough- If he does spend a long time I will pay in the long run with self stim behaviors or really obnoxious racing around.
John will be 6 in a couple weeks- we have by no means mastered all this, but do know pretty well how to manage it. Good luck!
Carolyn

[Nia]

NAfiq also grinds his teeth and sticks his fingers in the back of his mouth to chew on them.
I thought my little monsta was the only one that did these things.
I do have some advice regarding the teeth grinding. We have found it helpful to have him/her imitate squeezing his/her cheeks with one hand. I hope you guys know what I mean. It may be better if I demonstrated. Or to maybe have him/her rub their cheeks in circular motion and to stop, "No, No" or "stop that" when you observe them grinding their teeth. We have also found that diverting his attention to something that interested him usually helped too because he was so focused on the task at hand that he stopped grinding his teeth. That has helped us.
I hope I was helpful.

Nia

[Avasmommy]

Ava has been a grinder since she got her first four front teeth, about a year ago, she's two on Saturday...anyone have insight about what is the best age to see the dentist for our little grinders?? Our Pediatrician says it's common, not to worry, but I would feel better knowing for sure she will have teeth left at four yrs old! She also seems to do it when either bored (in the car) or having teething trouble, but I can't imagine her jaw doesn't get sore from it as well, right?
I'm so glad someone brought this up, been meaning to myself but hadn't gotten around to my first post! ;D

PS: She loves her toothbrush! Thanks all for the sensory input ideas and facial stim, we'll try it, better than telling her "no grinding" all day!

[Staci]

Thanks for all of the great advice!

Carolyn, I only wish I could have a swing in the house for Aidan! What a great activity, he absolutely loves to swing. And you're right...on days when Aidan is "busier", I've noticed that he grinds less. When he's tired, he grinds more. When he watches TV, he grinds away...hmmmm. Something for me to think about there! Thanks!

Nia, thanks for your help, and I do think I know what you mean! I do massage or rub Aidan's cheeks or gently squeeze his cute little cheeks when he grinds and tell him NO GRIND! He does like his jaws massaged, I'm sure it feels good and it does stop the grinding for a while.

Avasmommy (love your daughter's name, btw!), I believe it is recommended for any child to see a dentist by age 2...though Aidan just saw the dentist for the first time last summer at the age of nearly 4! I know...I was procrastinating BIG TIME! The dentist said not to worry about the grinding, also...augh! They don't have to listen to it all day and worry about them grinding their teeth away!

Since I started reading about the sensory input, etc, on here, I've been doing more exercises with Aidan...and you know, just thinking about it right now...but I don't think I heard Aidan grinding at all today... Hmmmm...maybe it's working! I've been scratching his face, like someone had mentioned in another thread...and scratching his tongue with his toothbrush every time we brush...which I did before, but now I am doing it for a longer period of time and putting more pressure on his tongue. Interesting! Maybe this will work! I hope this stuff works for your kiddos, too, for all the little grinders out there! LOL Sorry for my long post...just thinking to myself! Thanks again, ya'll!

[momofrussell]

You know, I mentioned I didn't think Russell grinded his teeth anymore.. but I guess I was wrong. When we went to the dentist for our first visit, he says he does. SOOOO , maybe he does it at night. But when he is sleeping next to me I can't hear it. I know that when he use to do it daily back when he was younger it was SO LOUD, and i don't hear it at all now, so I just assumed. Silly me...

The dentist did say he has seen alot worse in grinding teeth, so I guess that was comforting LOL.

A.