Why does the child grind his teeth?

At times, every mother notices how a dental creak comes from a baby crib instead of quiet snoring. What is this? Such a phenomenon can not but excite caring parents. And then a lot of questions arise - how dangerous it is, how to get rid of dental creak, and finally, what is most interesting - why do small children grind their teeth?

Periodically occurring and paroxysmal contractions of the masticatory muscles, which are accompanied by compression of the jaws and grinding of teeth in children, are called bruxism. If a child grinds his teeth infrequently for a few minutes, then you should not worry. But in the case when the dental creak lasts more than 30 minutes and repeats several times a night, it is necessary to pay attention to the health of the teeth and to find out the cause of the manifestation of bruxism in your child.

The causes of bruxism in children

1. Stressful situations. The child's psyche is very fragile and easily traumatized by the most insignificant, perhaps in your opinion, problems - going to kindergarten, moving or the emergence of a new member of the family. It should be noted that even too many positive emotions can cause stress in a child.
2. The presence of adenoids also explains why a child grinds his teeth at night.
3. Another reason for bruxism is sleep disturbance, which can be caused by nightmares.
4. Sometimes a dental creak indicates a violation of a normal bite or an inborn violation of the structure of the jaw apparatus itself. In this case it is inappropriate to leave this problem without attention and it is necessary to consult a dentist.
5. If your baby started to creak with teeth - ask your parents if you were not with this in childhood. Often, bruxism manifests itself against the background of hereditary factors, with the boys most affected by this disease.
6. Teething teeth in the mouth - for children this is a new and yet unexplored phenomenon that can explain why a child grinds teeth in the afternoon. The kid, probably, simply tries to scratch the cutting teeth and smooth the painful sensations.

How to treat bruxism in children?

If bruxism is not caused by any pathologies, then, as a rule, it passes independently, without any interference. But if you have been observing this deviation for a long time in your baby, you should consult a specialist, in particular a neurologist and dentist. The neurologist will be able to find out the cause of the dental creak in your child and make appropriate recommendations. The dentist, in turn, will help to avoid erasing the enamel. Very often, as a treatment, doctors use vitamin-mineral therapy, which will help to quickly cope with this disease caused by a lack of vitamins.

During the treatment of bruxism in children should follow some recommendations. Experts advise giving the child to eat more solid apples, cabbage, carrots. Such intense tension of the chewing muscles will lead to a decrease in their activity at night. Also, it is recommended to temporarily refrain from ingesting sugar, artificial colors, animal fats and fast food products. It is very important that the games before bedtime are not too active and emotional. Perhaps your baby is overworked during the day, so try to put him to bed early. It is not recommended to feed the baby at least one hour before bedtime - if the digestive system works at night, it can cause excessive tension in the muscles of the jaw and lead to a grinding of teeth.

Sometimes, such a problem in children, like a dental creak, may be minor and do not require proper treatment, but it also happens vice versa. Therefore, do not ignore such phenomena in your child. It is necessary to pay attention in time to this problem, to find out the reasons and, if necessary, take appropriate measures.