Do you need to stop teeth grinding in small children and will there be any permanent damage? When a child is young, many things are changing rapidly in their bodies. This includes teeth that are growing and breaking through the skin that can be very annoying. If your small child grinds their teeth at night, it is nothing to be alarmed about as it is quite common. Once the teeth are in place and the child is a little older, the problem often naturally goes away as there is less irritation during the night.

At what age then does teeth grinding become a problem? The answer to that question depends on what age the child is. The older the child, the more of a problem it might be. It is not common for older children to grind their teeth and if yours does then it could be a good thing to go see a dentist. You want to try to stop the habit before any real damage occurs.

Your pediatrician should be able to answer questions about your child if you observe them grinding their teeth. Although there is no specific cure for bruxism, your doctor should have some ideas and suggestion of what you can do to stop the problem. There is no guarantee that any method will work though, as every child is different and the cause of the problem may be different as well.

Most adults that have bruxism are told they may have it by their dentists who notice the loss of enamel and the wear on the top of their teeth from years of grinding. A habit like grinding teeth may not show up for years in an adult because the teeth are pretty strong and it may have to be a spouse that hears the grinding at night for you to know about it. If a spouse doesnt notice it then eventually a dentist will when the signs of grinding become more visible.

With children though, there might not be any wear at all because there might not have been enough time for any evidence of the grinding to show up. It is usually the parents who know there is a problem after they hear their child grinding when they fall asleep at night. If you suspect your child suffers from bruxism it is suggested that you talk to your doctor right away so that something can be figured out before the problem really becomes a problem.

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