"My child grinds their teeth at night, what should I do?"

 

We get this question all the time!  Parents are often concerned about the nocturnal grinding of teeth.  Often, the first indication is the noise created by the child grinding on their teeth during sleep.

 
Bruxism is the clinical term for teeth grinding and it is often viewed as simply an annoying and harmless habit. Therefore, the majority of cases of pediatric bruxism do not require any treatment.  
 

The good news is most children outgrow bruxism.  The grinding decreases between the ages 6-9 and children tend to stop grinding between ages 9-12 once they lose all of their baby teeth. 
 

In the rare circumstances that the habit persists into their teen years or if excessive wear of the teeth (attrition) is present, a custom mouth guard (night guard) may be indicated. 
 

If you suspect bruxism might be wearing your child's teeth or would like some more information about nightguards, give our office a call and make an appointment for an evaluation!