Suddenly it turned out that your child gritted his teeth during sleep. For a long time it was believed that if a child grit his teeth, then this is a sure sign that worms appeared in his body. However, doctors say that gnashing of teeth is not at all a sign of the presence of any parasites in the child's body. What are the true causes of this phenomenon?
The phenomenon when a child grinds his teeth is called bruxism in medical practice. According to research, this problem is typical for every third and even every second child of younger and middle age. The nature of bruxism has not yet been fully elucidated: either it is a disease, or the body's usual reaction to any stimuli.
However, there are several most likely assumptions why the child grit his teeth during sleep:
1. This phenomenon may well be inherited. If at least one of the parents gritted his teeth in his sleep, then the child may also have a predisposition to bruxism at the gene level.
2. Stress, mental, nervous, emotional stress may well cause nightly gnashing of teeth. If the child grinds his teeth, then it is very likely that something worries the baby. In this case, you need to contact a therapist, neurologist or psychologist.
3. Teething in a child is accompanied, as a rule, by itching and discomfort. At this time, there may be a strong desire to scratch your teeth, and not only in a dream. Therefore, during this period, grinding of teeth is also observed , but in this case it is a safe phenomenon that does not require special measures.
4. The child gritters his teeth also as a result of a malocclusion. Various types of violations of the dental or jaw system often cause muscle tension and a strong desire to grit your teeth, as a result of which they grind together.
5. Sleep disorder, disturbances in the depth of sleep. Teeth grinding in this case is on a par with nightmares, snoring, enuresis.
The treatment of bruxism due to the incompletely studied nature of this phenomenon cannot be concrete and effective. However, in any case, you should contact specialists such as a neurologist and dentist. A neurologist will help to identify the psychological cause of gnashing of teeth, and the dentist will take measures to protect teeth from decay during friction. Most often, a special tire is made, which is worn on the teeth at night to protect them from friction.
The manifestations of tooth grinding can be very different. There are insignificant manifestations of the duration, not more than ten seconds. They do not pose any serious danger to the child's body. When a child intensively grinds his teeth many times at night, lasting much more than ten seconds, then in this case you should seriously think about treatment. First of all, this applies to children who suffer from bruxism for many months and even years.
The treatment of bruxism depends entirely on many factors: the time of the development of the disease, the age of the child, the possible causes and nature of the manifestation of tooth grinding. Very often night bruxism is quite possible to eliminate on their own at home. However, if necessary, in no case should one refuse the help of specialists. Indeed, in the subsequent adult life, the consequences of bruxism may well create some discomfort and difficulty in communication. In addition to severe tooth wear and damage to the temporomandibular joint, the likelihood of developing such dental diseases as periodontitis, caries and others is very high. Very often, in children who grit their teeth, erasure of incisors and fangs is observed.