Parents are often concerned about the nocturnal grinding of teeth, also called bruxism. Often, the first indication is the noise created by the child grinding on their teeth during sleep. Or, the parent may notice wear (teeth getting shorter) to the dentition.

 

One theory as to the cause involves a psychological component. Stress due to a new environment, divorce, changes at school; etc. can influence a child to grind their teeth.

 

Another theory relates to pressure in the inner ear at night. If there are pressure changes, like in an airplane during take-off and landing, when people are chewing gum, etc. to equalize pressure, the child will grind by moving his jaw to relieve this pressure.

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The majority of cases of pediatric bruxism do not require any treatment. If excessive wear of the teeth (attrition) is present, then a mouth guard may be indicated.

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The good news is most children outgrow bruxism. The grinding decreases between the ages of 6 and 9 and children tend to stop grinding between ages of 9 and-12.

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