Having noticed once a child's teeth grinding at night, parents are worried and frightened. This state is shrouded in myths. It is believed that grinding teeth at night is a sign of helminthic infestation. Even doctors cannot unanimously answer the question of why grinding occurs and whether it is considered a disease. Why does a child grind his teeth in a dream?
Grinding teeth at night (bruxism) is a symptom of various diseases. To determine why a child grinds his teeth in a dream, you need to monitor the emotional state, examine the baby. Ignoring bruxism can lead to unpleasant situations and the development of diseases.
How is the grinding sound produced?
Bruxism occurs at night due to contraction of the chewing muscles. Normally, teeth only touch each other while eating, which causes friction. In a relaxed state, the jaws touch, but no friction is created. With bruxism, the muscles of the jaws are tense, the teeth are pressed tightly against each other and the child creaks them.
Bruxism is a common occurrence. Teeth grinding is noted in every third to fifth preschool child. Boys grind their teeth more often than girls.
Features of bruxism in children
Nocturnal grinding is not a purely childish problem. This phenomenon also occurs in adults, but much less frequently.
The creaking sound of a child can be heard not only at night. Sometimes the problem manifests itself in the daytime. The attack usually does not last long, about 10 seconds.
If a symptom occurs from time to time, and the baby's condition does not change, parents should not worry. If a child often and for a long time grinds his teeth in a dream, and is irritated in the morning, complains of a headache, as well as in the muscles of the jaw, this is a reason to consult a specialist.
Sometimes parents may not be aware of the symptom, for example, if the child is older and sleeps in a different room.
Attacks of bruxism that last longer than a month require treatment.
Why does a child grind his teeth in a dream? Doctor Komarovsky will tell you about the reasons
- Children's psyche has its own characteristics. Children endure stress and emotional stress differently. Even slight nervous stresses can affect the baby's body, manifest as a night gnashing of teeth. Bruxism suggests that the child's nervous system is malfunctioning, out of balance.
- The grinding can often be heard when deciduous teeth are erupting or when they are replaced by molars. Such processes are accompanied by itching and discomfort, the baby tries to scratch his teeth and creaks them. With teething, daytime bruxism is observed.
- Pathology in the form of malocclusion, as well as diseases of the jaw joints, are manifested by night grinding.
- The hereditary factor plays an important role. If one parent has bruxism, the child's risk of night grinding increases.
- Babies who have nightmares, sleepwalking, or other sleep disorders often grind their teeth. This also applies to snoring, talking in a dream, children.
- Adenoids, runny nose, otitis media are manifested by impaired nasal breathing, discomfort. The kid cannot breathe freely, especially at night, worries, squeaks his teeth.
- With a lack of trace elements that affect muscle contraction and the functioning of the nervous system, bruxism occurs. This is how the deficiency of calcium, magnesium, B vitamins and amino acids is manifested.
- With insufficient load on the jaw, the baby eats soft, rubbed food, the child reflexively clenches his jaw at night.
Is nocturnal gnashing of teeth related to worms? The older generation confidently declares the presence of worms at the first manifestations of bruxism. But there is no direct connection between the presence of helminths and the grinding of the night.
Bruxism can manifest itself both in children suffering from helminthiases and in healthy children. Indeed, teeth grinding in children with helminthic invasion is aggravated. The reason for this is the discomfort associated with helminths.
Why does a child grind his teeth day and night? Differences between day and night bruxism
Daytime bruxism is more typical for emotional children, when even small troubles bring a whirlwind of emotions. The kid reflexively clenches his teeth and creates a characteristic creak. Experts attribute daytime bruxism to a bad habit, not a pathology.
A professional psychologist can help the child, who will find an approach to the child and gently teach him how to control his actions. It is unacceptable to scold and punish a child for gnashing his teeth during the day, this will aggravate the problem, entail other disorders.
There are special methods and exercises that can teach a baby to cope with bruxism.
When teething, the baby clenches his teeth, scratches, bites. So the child is experimenting with his body, trying to try something new. Often, creaking teeth amuses the baby, you should not consider such bruxism a problem. It is enough to gently show the child that it is not worth doing this, you can buy a teether.
Night bruxism occurs involuntarily, the baby cannot control it.
Often night grinding is accompanied by other manifestations:
- grinding, squeaking, clicking teeth, which lasts 10 - 15 seconds and is periodically repeated;
- during an attack, blood pressure, pulse rate rises, the baby breathes more often.
Why is gnashing of teeth worth treating?
Parents often ask whether it is worth resorting to drug therapy for nighttime teeth grinding. If bruxism is not considered a disease, maybe you shouldn't pay attention to it?
Bruxism leads to complications that are imperceptible at first glance. Over time, changes are manifested more and more, diseases arise.
The consequences of bruxism are as follows:
- Daytime sleepiness.The kid cannot completely relax at night, immerse himself in deep sleep, his muscles remain in a tense state. After such a night, the child wakes up unrespirated, lethargic, capricious. Cognitive functions are impaired, attention is scattered, and academic performance decreases. Moreover, fatigue accumulates every day, the crumb cannot rest properly.
- The enamel of the teeth is erased. The child actively works with his jaws in a dream, the enamel of the teeth is exposed to constant mechanical stress. The thin enamel of children's teeth is gradually erased, there is an increased sensitivity of the teeth, gum disease. The child refuses to eat sour, sweet, hot, cold. If you notice that the baby is in pain while eating, cannot eat certain foods, seek the advice of a specialist. This may indicate increased sensitivity of the teeth, dental problems. If the enamel wears off significantly, a malocclusion occurs. If you miss the problem, the malocclusion is fixed, remains deformed.
- Nervous system disorders... Neurological disorders manifest themselves with a prolonged course of bruxism, when the night grinding of teeth has not been identified for a long time. Then the kids get to different specialists, they cannot cope with the problem for a long time.
The clinical manifestations of neurology in bruxism are varied and often “disguised” as other diseases. Children complain of head, face and neck pain. Dizziness, decreased vision and hearing are possible.
Diagnosis of bruxism
If you notice signs of bruxism, watch your baby sleep first. Pay attention to how long the attacks last, how often the squeak appears.
Notice how the child behaved the day before, whether there was emotional or physical stress. It is important to observe whether there are any manifestations of the problem during the day, whether the baby's condition is disturbed.
Then parents should contact a specialist. To clarify the diagnosis, doctors recommend a polysomnographic study. This diagnostic method allows you to register the contraction of the jaw muscles, which occur involuntarily. The method helps to distinguish bruxism from hidden pathologies, is indispensable for children at risk of developing epilepsy.
A dentist can also help diagnose bruxism. The doctor examines the baby's oral cavity, determines the condition of the teeth and gums, pays attention to the abrasion of the enamel.
In doubtful cases, the dentist recommends using a special brooks checker. This is a mouthguard made of soft plastic or rubber, it is put on while the child is sleeping. In the morning, the condition of the mouth guard is assessed, the deformed areas indicate the load on the teeth in these places.
For an accurate diagnosis and the appointment of the correct treatment, the child must be consulted by related specialists. Such children are examined by a dentist, neuropathologist, psychologist.
What to do if a child grinds his teeth in a dream?
If the phenomenon of bruxism is rare, the baby sleeps calmly, and wakes up vigorous and cheerful, you can limit yourself to general recommendations for the treatment of teeth grinding at night.
- Daily regime.The child should clearly understand the time of sleep and wakefulness, regularly walk in the fresh air and get enough rest.
- Balanced diet. A balanced diet will provide the baby with all vitamins and microelements, support the baby's health. Eliminate too sweet foods, fatty, heavy foods, dyes and preservatives from the diet. Do not overfeed the child at night, this will also make the baby's sleep restless. You need to have dinner 2 hours before going to bed.
- Give solid food during the day. Try to treat the little one with an apple, carrot, cabbage during daylight hours. Let the chewing muscles work, so you will reduce the muscle activity at night.
- Preparation for sleep. Try to calm your baby down before bed and play some quiet games. A hot bath, reading books, lullabies will help to relax the baby. If the baby “roamed” before bedtime, be sure to calm the baby down. An overexcited child cannot sleep well.
- Family atmosphere. Children's behavior is a mirror image of family relationships. Create a homely, cozy atmosphere. Never sort things out in the presence of children.
Try to be attentive and patient to the crumbs' requests, give him more time, hug and kiss the baby. Contact with parents is very important, it prevents many psychological problems in the future.
If bruxism is diagnosed, the baby will need a comprehensive approach to overcome the problem.
Bruxism treatment methods
- Psychological. Children with bruxism need psychological support, attention and understanding. A competent psychologist will help the family overcome the problem and establish trusting relationships.
- Somatic. Treatment of complications of bruxism, diseases of the oral cavity, gums, occlusion correction, selection of braces.
- Medication. Taking drugs that relieve nervous tension, normalize sleep: Tenoten, Glycine, herbal preparations (valerian root). Taking soothing baths is possible. To reduce the contractility of the muscles, calcium, magnesium, and B vitamins are often prescribed.
- Physiotherapy. Relaxing massage, compresses on the face. Warm compresses are applied for 10-15 minutes on the cheekbones, the procedure is repeated 2 times a day. Compresses help to relax, relieve tension and soreness in the muscles.
With severe symptoms of bruxism, to preserve the enamel of the teeth, experts recommend wearing a special mouth guard during sleep. They are made individually, taking into account all the features of the baby's oral cavity. Wearing mouth guards prevents the child from changing the bite, relieves stress on the jaw joints, and reduces muscle pain.
Although mouth guards are an effective way to prevent and treat complications of bruxism, they should not be considered full treatment. To identify the cause of the night grinding, a comprehensive examination of the child is necessary.
Prevention of night grinding
In order to prevent the development of the problem, you need to pay attention to the health of the baby's oral cavity. Teach your child to take care of teeth, treat gum diseases in time, fill teeth.
Try to protect your baby from stress, improve the climate in the family. Emotional children need to be supported, taught to calm down on their own. Older children should be taught self-relaxation techniques.
If the child grinds his teeth in a dream, do not postpone the visit to the doctor until later. This will prevent the development of negative consequences, help to quickly get rid of the trouble.
Let's sum up
Many parents face the problem of nighttime teeth grinding. Often these are short attacks that go away on their own and do not require drug treatment.
If teeth grinding becomes a private sleep companion, you should definitely pay attention to the duration and frequency of attacks. The problem will also be indicated by the deterioration of the general condition of the child, weakness, irritability, fatigue, impaired concentration.
At the first suspicious symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor who will prescribe a set of examinations and figure out the causes of the problem. In case of bruxism, the treatment started on time will prevent the development of complications and preserve the health of the baby.
