Each parent with all his heart worries about the health of his child. As soon as one or another problem begins in the beloved child, the mother and father suspect the worst and sound the alarm. At the same time, babies often experience standard problems that should not cause particular concern. Many are interested in why a child grinds his teeth at night in a dream and whether this can indicate serious pathologies.
Bruxism (or gnashing of teeth) is a very common problem in children aged 12 months to 8 years. Moreover, this phenomenon can be caused by a variety of factors. Let's take a closer look at why a child grinds his teeth at night.
Stress
You need to understand that the psyche of a child cannot form in one day. Accordingly, he can not always correctly respond to certain life situations. Thus, due to minor problems in the kindergarten (if the baby is afraid of something or simply cannot get used to the fact that he does not see his parents for a long time), he may begin to experience stress. In the same way, excessive joy affects the nervous system.
Therefore, if a child grinds his teeth at night, the reason may be hidden in the imbalance of the nervous system. To prevent this from happening, it is important to ensure that, at the slightest change, the baby does not begin to behave nervously. To do this, you need to explain to him that the situations that cause him stress are not critical at all. If the child will always feel the support of parents, then he will feel protected, and therefore, less nervous.
Trouble sleeping
If we talk about why the child grinds his teeth at night, the reason for the lack of rest should be considered first. Perhaps the baby suffers from bad dreams. In this case, you need to watch him. If the child often wakes up, screams and cries, you may need to visit a neurologist and start taking sedative drugs.
Also, sleep problems can occur if the baby is hyperactive. If the child is awake throughout the day and night, then this may well cause such unpleasant symptoms that make parents worry.
Adenoids
If the child grinds his teeth in a dream at night, then this may indicate problems with the nasopharynx. In this case, you need to visit a specialist and undergo a course of treatment. Many parents fear that the doctor may prescribe surgery and remove adenoids. However, such measures are required only at the chronic stage of the disease. If we are talking about children, then most often they are assigned a special set of physical procedures that quite effectively help get rid of such problems.
Heredity
Bruxism may well develop in a baby if one of his parents suffers from the same ailment. If a child grinds his teeth at night, then perhaps it is a hereditary factor, so it’s worth checking with the other half whether she (or him) had similar problems in her youth or more mature age.
It is noteworthy that, according to statistics, such hereditary ailments are more often transmitted to boys than to girls.
Tooth problems
If parents noticed a similar symptomatology in a baby, then this can be completely explained by a standard phenomenon. When the baby's teeth are being cut, the gums begin to itch very badly. In order to somehow alleviate his condition, the baby intuitively clenches his jaw and publishes a gnashing. Therefore, if a child gritters his teeth at night (in this case, gums), it is worth checking his mouth for swollen gums. If the reason is really this, then it is recommended to purchase a specialized cooling gel and a “teether”. Before this, consult a pediatrician or dentist.
Another cause of night gnashing can be a malocclusion. If the child suffers from an improperly formed jaw apparatus, then in this case it is necessary to conduct an examination at the orthodontist. The doctor will develop therapy to correct the bite. However, it is better not to delay this issue. If the baby's jaw is fully formed, it can take years to wear special bracket systems to correct it.
Worms
Many believe that with the appearance of helminths, children begin to suffer exclusively from anal itching. In fact, if a child grinds his teeth at night, this may well be one of the symptoms of infection with worms. In order to exclude the presence of helminths, it is enough to pass feces for analysis. If worm eggs are found in it, then in this case the doctor will prescribe a course of treatment. However, you should not use the recommendations of friends and independently purchase medications. In addition, if worms are found in the baby, then all family members living with him will also have to undergo an examination.
Fatigue
Very often, parents, trying to instill their child's talents and love for sports, write him in a huge number of the most diverse sections and circles. Ultimately, the baby does not have time to rest, and he begins to suffer from overwork. This leads to the first problem - stress. Therefore, if a child at 5 years old grinds his teeth at night, it is worth revising his schedule.
Chronic fatigue leads to a host of unpleasant symptoms. In this case, we are talking about increased nervousness, and sleep problems.
Bad habit
Some children begin to grind their teeth in the daytime. Thus, they try to relieve tension. Therefore, you need to watch the child. If the child clenches his jaw with force when he is upset or angry, it is worth explaining to him that this should not be done. Otherwise, a bad habit can become a more serious problem. For example, when in a dream the baby begins to unknowingly squeeze his jaw. All this is fraught with negative consequences.
What is the danger of night grinding
As a rule, when a child grinds his teeth at night, he does not notice this, but parents can hear characteristic sounds and begin to worry. There are a number of reasons for this.
For example, bruxism very often leads to thinning of tooth enamel. Due to such injuries, caries will develop much faster, which will lead to early destruction of the baby’s tooth. To avoid such a problem, you should consult your dentist. You may need to purchase a special night mouth guard.
In addition, such nightly manipulations with teeth can lead to deformation of the lower jaw of the child. In this case, when you chew or yawn, a crackling sound will be clearly heard. To correct this situation, it is necessary to take preventive measures to reduce tension in the jaw muscles.
If grinding continues for a long time, then subsequently children (especially at the age of 1-3 years) may develop pain in the cervical spine and back. In this case, most often the cause of clenching of the jaw becomes stress or nervous exhaustion.
Another unpleasant consequence is spasms in the facial muscles. This means that bruxism can provoke twitching of the corners of the mouth and even the facial teak.
As the famous doctor Komarovsky says, a child grinds his teeth at night for many reasons. If a similar phenomenon is repeated several times in the dark, it is worth consulting with a specialist and solve the problem.
What if the child grit his teeth?
As a rule, complex treatment is required to get rid of bruxism. This means that if a specialist prescribes medications, then the home environment is no less important for improving the condition of the baby. Also, experts recommend relieving the child of stress, as this is a very common cause of gnashing of teeth. To do this, you need to communicate more often with the baby, walk with him in the fresh air. It is also worth limiting it in watching television programs and in the use of gadgets popular today.
In addition, it is worthwhile to trace how the baby behaves during the day. He must rest a sufficient amount of time. It is also recommended to exclude computer games and watching TV. Rest means a dream or just free time, which will not strain the baby’s nerves.
So that the child sleeps better and does not feel discomfort at night, it is worth 15 minutes before bedtime to go out with him to fresh air. This will help the baby relax and fall asleep much faster. If it is a cold winter, then during this period of time it is enough to periodically ventilate the children's room for 5-7 minutes.
Of course, you also need to monitor the nutrition of the baby. During the growth period, children need vitamins and minerals. To do this, it is not necessary to buy expensive pills. It is enough to ensure that there are always fresh fruits and vegetables on the table. It is also worth excluding harmful foods from the baby's diet (hamburgers, chips, french fries, soda, etc.). In addition, you need to talk with the child every day and find out what worries him, which causes stress and other negative conditions. The baby should always be surrounded by care and love.
If parents follow all these recommendations, then after a while the problem will disappear. However, it is better to consult with a specialist and exclude more serious pathologies that may occur in the baby's body.