What in the world can I do about this? I constantly hear her grinding her teeth and she's only 16 months old! Everytime I hear her I just squeeze her cheeks to make her loosen her teeth but she thinks I'm playing with her. She laughs and goes right back to doing it. I need to know if anyone has ever had this problem with their toddler and what did you do about it?
Well, everyone seems to say the same thing. Keep her distracted and wait it out. So, I'll just bear with it now and pray that she stops! Thank you all for your advice, it has put me at ease!
actually my little girl used to do the same thing, and I as well freaked out but she later stopped on her own
She will grow out of it. My son used to do the same thing at about that same age. Just distract her from it without making a big deal. If you over react to it she will keep doing it. If it persists or gets worse call her Dentist.
She is probably getting some back teeth in and she will stop when they are all the way in or when they stop hurting.
My son did this at about the same age and the dentist said it was normal and had to do with all these new things in their mouth, and that it would usually resolve itself.....and in our case it did. Keep an eye out and if it doesn't stop and a few months, get her in to see a dentist. In the meanwhile you just have to sorta live with the annoying noise.
Good luck,
M.
Hi V., well I have a 13 month old beautiful little girl & a 4 month old little beauty as well... When my oldest got her first top & bottom teeth she too would always grind them... I would tell her no no you're gonna hurt your teeth baby & I'd put my finger in a mouth a little to seperate her teeth... she'd laugh & think I was playing... I'd try giving her a cold carrot or something to distract her.. it seemed to work... She was just experimenting with her new teeth. She actually broke the habit all on her own. I'm sure your 16 month old will do the same. Hope this was helpful! -L. A.
Hi V.! I had the same problem with my oldest who's now 5 1/2. I panicked because I have TMJ disorder and I was worried that he was already going to develop it...I took him immediately to the dentist and he told me that it was just something that all kids do and that he'll grow out of it...no nightguard or anything! And he did grow out of it! I don't think you should worry! Good luck, R.
hi, my daughter is 18 mos. now and she did the same thing a few months ago. she would grind and click her teeth all the time. eventually she just quit doing it, now she just makes noises with her mouth. hope my advice is helpful and it is just a toddler thing that will end soon.
Elizabeth
My son is now 18 months, and he did the same thing for a while. It was AWFUL to listen to, but I think they just do it because they can. They have new teeth and they figure out how to do something new with it. He stopped eventually and he doesn't ever do it now. I think that you just need to bear it and she should grow out of it in a few weeks or so. Good luck!!!
Hi my name is M. and I am a single mom of 4 kids. My daughter who is know 17 use to grind her teeth but in her sleep. She did out grow it but I would tell her stop even in her sleep and she would for a little will. You just have to tell her to stop and how she can hurt her teeth. You may think she is too young to understand but this is the age they are learning so much.
I would suggest speaking to her dentist at next check up, grinding teeth might just be a childhood thing but puts extra wear on teeth. If she does it at night might be able to get a mouth piece? dunno cause she is kind of young still
good luck
from everything i've read, the best route is just to ignore it, because when you call attention to it, they just end up doing it more, or like in your case, think it's a game and use it to get your attention. my 3 year old did that for a little while and i hated it because the noise is so annoying! but after just a few days of me ignoring it, she stopped on her own
My youngest did this. Sometimes we would wake up in the night and hear her grinding - all through her life.
I don't have a solution, but wanted you to know what occurred with us. She is now 18 and in college. When we went to put on braces while she was in high school we found that her permanent teeth had ground down substantially over the years, and although they are nice and pretty, they are noticeably smaller than normal. Also we found out about TMJ when she got to be a pre-teen and discovered that it went hand in hand with her grinding. Straightening her teeth and bite did not eliminate the TMJ and the discomfort that sometimes goes with it. When she got her braces off she was given a mouth guard/retainer, but it has not been sufficient enough to relieve the TMJ, so she is now being fitted for a new mouth guard specifically designed to help this problem. I would recommend that you find out as much as you can about TMJ and maybe you can avoid some of the problems we have had over the years.
