More than 50% of babies have a habit of grinding teeth while sleeping. And this can continue until the baby is 5-6 years old, or even into adulthood. Children grinding teeth when sleeping will not seriously affect their health, but can adversely affect the baby's tooth structure
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Causes children to grind their teeth while sleeping
Tell mom how to handle it appropriately
Teeth grinding is the act of tightening the jaw muscles excessively in both the upper and lower jaw, making a sound or not. This action can appear at any age, from babies 6 months old to babies 5-6 years old, even adults can encounter. Children grind their teeth while sleeping accounts for the majority of cases. Others may grind their teeth during the day when a child feels anxious or stressed.
Many children have a habit of grinding teeth while sleeping
7 steps to prepare for the first dental exam Many experts recommend that you should have your dental check-up at the time of the “cradle ceremony”, or after the first tooth appears. However, with many children, there will be an invisible fear and obsession when coming to this clinic.
Unlike many mothers' worry, the fact that babies grind their teeth while sleeping will not cause any serious health problems. However, in some cases, sleeping teeth grinding can be the cause of dental problems, such as:
- Teeth wear: The degree of tooth wear more or less depends on the time and hardness of tooth tissue. In case children grind their teeth while sleeping too hard, they can break the tooth enamel on the outside of the anterior lower teeth and the inside of the upper front teeth. When teeth are worn out, uneaten food and bacteria can attach to them more, increasing the risk of tooth decay.
- Eradicate tooth enamel, leading to exposing the dentin layer inside the teeth. This can make the baby's teeth "more sensitive" to foods that are too hot or too cold.
- Muscular and temporal joint disorders. In extreme cases, the structure of the jaw, face can be affected.
- Children may feel the jaw muscles tighten and sore.
Take your child to the dentist to check when there are abnormal signs such as deviated teeth, too much worn teeth, the frequency of constantly grinding their teeth ... Even when there are no signs of abnormalities, mothers should still give baby go to the dentist to check teeth periodically.
There are many causes of teeth grinding, but the most typical are the following factors:
- Children with problems related to teeth such as teething, oral sinusitis, gingivitis ...
- Due to digestive problems such as inflammation of the stomach, intestines, or due to intestinal parasites releasing toxins, it stimulates the jaw muscle coordination, thereby leading to the act of grinding teeth.
- Children have psychological problems, anxiety, stress, or because they are overactive during the day, causing brain function to lose balance.
- Some nerve problems such as epilepsy, hiteria ... affect a certain part of the cerebral cortex that creates excitement, dominates the junctional nerve branch, leading to the contraction of the jaw muscles in the child.
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Most of the time children grind their teeth will gradually disappear as they grow up. You don't need to worry too much. However, the mother should bring the baby to the dentist for an examination as soon as he notices that his baby's teeth are cracked, or have cavities, dislocated joints ... In many cases, the doctor will probably sharpen the teeth marks aligning teeth so that the knuckles fit together. Or the doctor may assign your baby to use a tooth guard, a soft plastic tray to cover the teeth, to help prevent the baby from grinding and squeezing teeth while sleeping.
In addition, the doctor can find out the cause and appropriate treatment depending on the situation of each baby. For example, for children who grind their teeth due to psychological stress, anxiety, just balancing their psychological, emotional and mental comfort can help them reduce teeth grinding. Talk softly about the things that make them stressful, scared or angry to help them feel better mentally and better about the life around them.
For babies who grind their teeth due to excessive activity during the day, affecting the cortical function, preferably 30 minutes before bed, mothers should let them participate in gentle and relaxing activities like reading comics. Do not give your baby too much food before bedtime, especially confectionery, sugary foods because sweets will easily excite the nervous system.
In short, the state of children grinding their teeth while sleeping is a fairly normal sleeping habit that can happen to infants , children and adults. Depending on the actual cause, the mother can help alleviate this condition. In the event that this bad habit can have a negative impact on the teeth, the mother should take the baby to the dentist immediately.
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