My 3 1/2 Yr Old's Teeth Look Horrible!

My 2 year old has been grinding her teeth since she was 1. It's no big deal any more. She doesn't do it was often as she use to. It I catch her doing I tell her to stop, and she does. I think it's a comfort thing for her. She also likes to chew on her blanky.

my five year old daughter also grinds her teeth and her dentist also tells me "not to worry." and yet i know, for myself, that i grind only when extremely and deeply stressed, and that it creates earache/neckache/cranial and facial effects that i do not like. I would welcome further exchange on this topic! does it mean she is stressed? does it have other consequences? is there a set of resources out there on this?

thanks for bringing it up!

R.

My 6 yr old grinds her teeth too, although fortunately there hasn't been any visible damage. The dentist knew because she started losing her baby teeth in the wrong order. He too said don't worry about it until she is older. Nothing you can really do about it now. A bite guard at this age would interfere with the growth of their palate.

As for the teeth being yellow, I wouldn't think that has anything to do with the grinding. What does your dentist say about that? If I didn't get a satisfactory answer to that problem, I may seek the advice of another dentist.

You may be trying to scrub off staining that is from something else, like antibiotic exposure during pregnancy, or even earlier in his life, so the colour may not be anything you can do anything about.

In your place, I'd get a cheap moldable sports mouthguard for him to sleep with... they're between $2 & $5, so they can be lost and replaced often. They're a whole lot cheaper than professionally-molded, and your lad's jaw will be changing shape regularly, so he'd need a new one every few months anyhow.

Has he seen a chiropractor? He may have muscle tension in his neck or shoulders that is provoking the grinding. Alternatively, you could look at the book Baby Massage and help him fall asleep with a last-thing neck and head massage that may alleviate the stress, if that's what's causing the grinding.

If you don't mind a drive, take your son to doctor Paul McEwen. His office is in Linden, MI which is near Flint. His office number is ###-###-####. Good luck

N.,

I think it's horrible when ANY doctor blows off your concerns like that. I agree that something should be done such as a bite guard. I myself clench my teeth at night and I don't know what I'd do without a bite guard.

I recommend switching dentists. I have a GREAT one. I've recommended TONS of people to him. He's a great doctor and does what's truly best for his patients. Your teeth usually HURT after a cleaning with him becuase he is VERY thorough. He remembers EVERYTHING about you and is GREAT with kids. He only has one hygenist which he took on a couple of years ago because he doesn't want ot loose that personal touch. The other GREAT thing about him is he really works with you financially. If your insurance doesn't cover it he'll work it out. My younger sister and I only had insurance that covered flouride up to age 12 but he thought we needed it longer than that so just did it for FREE!!! That's the kind of dentist and man he is.

His name is Dr. John George and he is located at 22 Mile and Hayes Rd. in Shelby Township, MI. His phone number is ###-###-####.

Best of luck! :)

I have two teeth grinding children. My son is far worse at by 5 you could see right through his teeth to see his baby teeth underneath. We capped them. We put protectant on them. They still looked terrible. Now that he has his permanent teeth, they look better. I am still cautious since his teeth are "softer" and susceptible to cavities: just like mine. Yellow teeth are genetic not related to tooth health at all. Americans are obsessed that we need model white teeth. My 13 year old uses whiteners already due to the natural color of her teeth. Since my son is now 9, I see the view point of the dentist. If you are uncomfortable, seek a second opinion. But I have survived it and it should get better. Just keep up with the vitamins, flouride and calcium needs of your child.

If the dentist is blowing you off, I'd blow him off and find a new one. This is not professional sounding to me. I would definitely get a second opinion. Sure these are the baby teeth and it's difficult to outwardly tell from them how the permanent ones will grow in. But maybe it should be looked at a little more seriously. If it's affecting things now, you don't want it to 'spill' over into a subconscious habit and wreaking havoc on his permanents.
Good luck!

I'm glad to hear others are having problems with this. My 9 month old is grinding his teeth!!! He started at about 4 months when he got his first two teeth. It sounds gross, and I don't know how to tell him to stop. My 2 year old has picked up on it also. The older ones teeth are very thin at the bottom and you can see through them!!! I have also consulted a dentist and they said, don't worry about it, they don't keep those teeth anyways. I couldn't beleive it! My only advice it to make sure they get enough vitamins and minerals to help the teeth grow as strong as they can. Sorry I'm not much help :)

Sometimes teeth grinding is from a calcium deficiency. Get him a good BALANCED calcium supplement and give it to him about an hour before bed. The "old wives tale" about warm milk before bed helps one sleep is true...it's the calcium in the milk. You could try the supplement or the warm milk. That IS a big deal. Teeth grinding can cause TMJ later...what's up with the dentist that he doesn't know that?
I can't imagine that any staining is from teeth grinding, it's probably from something else....something he eats of antibiotics. I'd say it's time for a new dentist!