Reasons why children grind their teeth while sleeping

The article was professionally consulted by BSCK II, Senior Doctor Doan Du Dat - General Internal Medicine Doctor - Department of Medical Examination and Internal Medicine, Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital.

According to statistics, children under the age of 5 are very susceptible to grinding their teeth while sleeping. This is a condition in which the upper and lower teeth of a child grind, squeeze together and make a squeaking sound. Causes of teeth grinding while sleeping in children can stem from objective or subjective factors.

Teeth grinding at night often occurs in people with stress or nervous disorders. Anger, pain, and frustration can cause nighttime teeth grinding.
Sleep bruxism in children, although not serious and does not cause any impact on the overall development of children, however, if this condition persists, it may cause serious problems. stress and nervous disorders. Therefore, right from the time of detecting children grinding their teeth, parents should find out the cause of this condition in order to take timely intervention measures.
Up to the present time, there is still no official conclusion on the cause of teeth grinding while sleeping in children, however, a number of subjective and objective factors are believed to cause teeth grinding while sleeping in children including :
Due to psychological anxiety: Children are very susceptible to emotional changes and become stressed and anxious just for a simple reason. It is this mentality that can cause teeth grinding during sleep in children, as a mechanism to help the child's body cope with these erratic emotions; Teething: Children who are teething are also prone to grinding their teeth while sleeping. Teeth grinding can help children feel less pain and more comfortable when teething; Because children have malocclusion: One of the causes of teeth grinding while sleeping in children may be because the child has a misaligned bite and feels discomfort when the jaw muscles close. Scientific research has shown that, about 13% of children suffer from both bruxism during sleep and at the same time malocclusion, they are closely related; Because children have pinworm infections: Many cases of grinding teeth while sleeping in children are caused by pinworm infections. This parasite when parasitic in the human body will secrete a toxin that causes the body to be stressed and form a habit of grinding teeth; Due to allergies in children: The cause of teeth grinding when sleeping in children can also be due to allergies, grinding teeth can help children reduce discomfort on the body; Due to a drug reaction: If the child is suffering from a certain illness and has to use certain drugs such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, this can also be the cause of teeth grinding while sleeping in children.

For early detection and timely intervention, parents need to know the signs of teeth grinding while sleeping in children, specifically:
Children's teeth are worn and chipped; Children often complain of pain in the forehead and ears; The child has jaw pain when chewing and chewing food becomes difficult; When babies sleep, they often make creaking sounds.

Children are prone to bruxism while sleeping, but they will stop this habit when they grow up or when their teeth are fully grown. However, there are also some cases where children cannot give up this habit on their own, but need to ask for the help or intervention of parents and medical staff.
The state of teeth grinding while sleeping in children, if prolonged, can cause serious effects on the life and development of children. Some problems can occur such as:
Teeth grinding can lead to temporomandibular syndrome in children; Children's teeth can be damaged by constant pressure from teeth grinding; The pulp of the tooth is protruding out; Teeth grinding can cause children's teeth to lose enamel and become more sensitive to temperature; Fractures in the jaw region; Cavity problems are made worse by constant wear and tear of the teeth.

To help children quickly get rid of teeth grinding, it is necessary to find out what is the cause of teeth grinding while sleeping in children and treat according to that cause.
If the cause is the child's stress and the problem is related to school or friends, then help the child relax, solve the problems that cause him to be stressed and before bedtime, do not create What is the pressure on children? Instead, talk or tell stories to your child, helping them fall asleep more easily and deeply.
In the case of teeth grinding while sleeping in children, which is caused by teething, sore gums, help the child apply a warm water bag to the cheek to relieve the pain. In particular, using a pacifier can help reduce discomfort during teething and so your baby will not grind his teeth while sleeping.
In the case of children grinding their teeth due to irregular teeth growing and having difficulty closing their mouth, parents should take the child to the dentist to solve the problem.
In addition, it is possible for children to use a chewing surface to prevent teeth grinding, however, it is not always effective in all cases. Therefore, at the same time with the treatment of teeth grinding in children, parents should pay attention to their nutrition, fully supplement calcium and magnesium in the daily diet because a lack of these substances can also cause problems. cause children to grind their teeth.
In summary, sleep bruxism in children is not too serious and greatly affects the development of children, so parents do not need to be too worried, in most cases when children grow up, get rid of this habit. The only thing is to make sure that the child does not encounter any stressful problems in life. If parental interventions do not work to cure teeth grinding in children, take the child to see a specialist to get the most helpful advice.