Probably, many of you have encountered such a problem as a grinding of teeth in a child. Not only unpleasant for hearing, but also a sound that causes a lot of emotions, often causes a restless night for a caring mother. Heard that supposedly children grind their teeth at night, if there are worms in the body, parents fall into a panic. Meanwhile, gritting is a disease with the unusual medical name “bruxism”. If the symptoms and the name of science are precisely defined, then there are very different opinions about the causes of this ailment.
Teeth creaking in the baby
Teething in young children is accompanied by a constant feeling of discomfort. The baby’s gums itch, and, in order to somehow alleviate their suffering, they involuntarily begin to grit their teeth. However, this behavior cannot be attributed to a serious illness. Children grit their teeth at night, and sometimes during the day, until all the milk teeth are erupted.
Bite formation
It happens that children grit their teeth at night and after all the teeth have erupted.
This occurs during bite formation. Some structural features of the jaw part of the head can contribute to the development of bruxism. In this case, you should contact your dentist. Only he will prescribe the necessary treatment. Most often, experts recommend using a special dental splint at night, which prevents the teeth from touching.
Is it a matter of worms?
Suppose your child grinds his teeth, what to do, mind you, absolutely all children can, regardless of age and the presence of parasites in the body. In this case, are the following actions justified: to wake up the child in the early morning for the next test procedure, force him to take anthelmintic drugs, exclude some foods from the diet? And all just because the child made unpleasant sounds with his teeth. And by the way, some children even like to listen to their own teeth grinding. So sometimes adults can take another baby habit for bruxism. As for worms or other parasites, their presence in the body of a child does not always manifest itself externally.
How to treat bruxism
Before choosing the most correct treatment method, it is necessary to find out why the child grinds his teeth at night. Ways to get rid of bruxism directly depend on the causes of its occurrence. So, what should be done if children grit their teeth at night:
- First of all, you need to consult a dentist;
- strictly monitor that there is no contact between the lower and upper rows of teeth when this is not necessary (at the time of chewing food, talking);
- an hour before going to bed, you must abandon outdoor games;
- make sure that the child does not overwork;
- do not allow the baby to eat before bedtime;
- include calcium in the diet;
- very often the baby's concern may be the cause of bruxism, therefore one should always discuss his problems with him, trying to dispel them before going to bed in a pleasant warm conversation.