I hope someone will have a clue what I should do about this. My 27 mo old likes to grind his teeth. We notice it mostly at dinner time when it's quieter and he's right there between us. I know that teeth grinding is a problem, so I'd like to find a way to break him of this habit now, while he's only got his baby teeth. Any suggestions would be helpful, because I really don't know what to do other than tell him no when he does it. I've considered taking him to the dentist already, partly because of this issue. Thanks!
Does he have all of his teeth? Mine grinds his teeth right as new ones are coming in. Every single time so far. I guess he can feel that the teeth are shifting or something. Mine is now just missing his 2 yr molars and they aren't popping up yet, but every so often his gums get red and inflamed and he grinds. I wouldn't worry, but just mention it at your next dentist appt.
My son used to grind his teeth, too. He used to grind so loudly at night it would wake us up when he slept in the same room. I talked to the dentist - he said not too worry and it would/should go away by the time he was 6 or 7. He was right. My son is 7, and I haven't heard him grind for at least a year or two. My daughter did it a bit as well, and she was done by the time she was 3. Good luck!
Both of my kids did this at about the same age, mostly in the evening and when they were sleeping. It grew less frequent over time and eventually went away on its own. My son is 34 mo and hardly does it anymore. It lasted a bit longer with my daughter. The dentist was unconcerned as long as it didn't become a long-term habit (years). The sound of teeth grinding made me nuts but he was right, it eventually stopped on its own.
Talk to your dentist. My children developed TMJ because of it. I don't know if dentists are aware of it. Mine didn't seem to understand so I went to a dentist who specializes in TMJ and he has helped us. My youngest is getting braces this month and I think this will stop him from doing it. My son likes to chew on his shirts too. I never did anything about either until now. Now I just remind him to stop too.
I would take him to the dentist. Teeth grinding can cause a lot of problems later on. He may need some assistance now, or not, but a dentist can see if there's already wear on his teeth.
My son is going to be 4 in May. I just recently took him to the dentist and he sometimes grinds his teeth. They said it really doesnt hurt anything when they still have baby teeth, and not to worry unless he kept doing it as he got older. He doesnt do it all the time though. I have heard other dentists will say different things about the issue. Maybe just call your dentist and ask their opinion.
My oldest was a teeth grinder when he first got her teeth. It was horrible. Just listening to it gave me the chills. I would try to giver her something else to chew on, but it never worked. She just stopped doing it eventually. We did tell her to stop doing it when we caught her grinding. Hopefully he's just enjoying being able to make a new noise and it goes away eventually.
