I'm hoping that someone may have heard of this before. My 2 1/2 year old makes a very loud squeaking sound (?teeth-grinding?) every time he eats. It sounds like he is chewing rubber. He does not grind his teeth at night or any other time during the day. He has had all of his baby teeth for almost a year now. It does not appear to bother him, but everyone that hears it freaks out and tells me it's definitely not normal. His pediatric dentist says that most kids grind their teeth. If that's the case, why are the parents of 'most kids' telling me this is not normal? I really hope someone out there has experienced this and can give me advice. I'm concerned that this could eventually cause problems with his jaw if it isn't corrected or he doesn't outgrow it soon enough. He has been making this sound for about 10 months now.
My son grinds his teeth too. The sound you described is what I'm used to and it freaked me out at first but my Mom said it's normal and most babies do it. Hope that helps!
My son is 5 and does the same thing when he eats. From all of the answers from all of the other parents and the dentist's advice, it sounds normal. Although it does freak some people out. My step daughter cannot stand it and thinks he does it or purpose or can control it. I know he cannot control it and he doesnt even know he is doing it.
i agree with Michelle H. Get a second opinion!
It's probably the sound that is freaking everyone out. If the DR. says not to worry then don't. If the baby is getting a lot of attention when this occurs maybe he likes it. Just try to ignore it and see what happens. Give him lots of cuddle time and just eat at meal times.
It sord of sounds like your dentist doesn't want to mess with it. Maybe he sees alot of kids with this. I don't know. I have never heard of this or seen this. I would get a second opinion from another pediatric dentist or even my own dentist and maybe even my pediatrician. I wouldn't ignore it though. Sounds serious.
Well, don't listen to other parents because their saying this based on "their" experience, and not out of knowledge like his dentist does. What's normal for one kid is not "normal" for another. Really think about what really is "normal" anyways. He will eventually grow out of this stage. He's just practicing eating and his teeth grinding is him chewing his food, there's just no food on one side of his mouth. I'd keep bringing up this issue with his dentist if you are really concerned, and make a bigger issue out of it than his dentist is making it out to be.
my natural daughters did this and they are now teens with healthy smiles. It is a normal thing especially if they get a reaction from someone about it.
Hey there! My son just turned 13 months old and has been grinding his teeth (mostly when eating, a little while playing, but never at night) for several months now. I asked our pediatrician about it and our dentist and both said it was fine. There isn't really anything we can do about it (can't put a mouth guard in a baby's mouth), just keep in touch with the dentist and have them check your baby out if you get concerned again. I've done some reading online about it as well and the common response is that it's nothing to worry about and it's just the baby's way of getting used to their teeth. It's like finger nails on a chalk board for me, so I'm right there with you! But hang in there! As the other responder said, what's normal for one baby isn't for another. Kids are all different! :)
Take him to the dentist and have your son eat something so the dr. can hear it. Children grinding their baby teeth is very normal but if it is a squeaking sound, something could be off in his TMJ joint. If the dr. tries to brush you off, go to another dentist. At least get a second opinion. Hope everything works out.
Hi, R.! Since the pediatric dentist has checked this out, I'm assuming his teeth are in good condition; however, have his regular doctor check out his ears for possible ear ache or infection. I'm saying this because I had a tooth grinder and we figured out (finally) that he had an ear infection which went unnoticed because he only exhibited tooth-grinding with it. Once the ears were fixed (he had to have tubes put in), the tooth-grinding stopped. Just a thought to check out! Good luck, hon!
I wish I had some advice. My 3 1/2 year old boy does some REALLY loud teeth grinding too in his sleep--sounds like he's chewing gravel! At least since he's awake you could tell him not to do it?
