Sometimes it happens that parents hear strange sounds from the cot. When they come closer, they notice that the child is creaking with his teeth in a dream. Scratching of teeth during sleep is called bruxism and is more common in childhood.
The child, when he sleeps, grinds his teeth unconsciously and most often, does not even remember in the morning what happened at night.
Boys are more prone to bruxism than girls.
Why does the child squeak violently at night?
There is an opinion among the people that the child scratches his teeth at night if he has worms. However, the presence of worms in children who grind their teeth, occurs no more often than other children.
The exact reasons why small children grind their teeth have not yet been established. However, parents should pay attention to this behavior of the child and consult a doctor. There are prerequisites that can cause bruxism:
- stress (moving, the appearance of a second child in the family, the adaptation period in a preschool institution);
- sleep disturbance (nightmares, wrong alternation of sleep phases);
- the presence of adenoids increases the risk of bruxism up to 80%;
- heredity;
- the period of teething in a young child;
- incorrect structure of the jaw apparatus (often - malocclusion);
- lack of vitamins (magnesium, calcium, B vitamins).
How to wean your child to grind your teeth?
If parents notice that the child is creaking with his teeth, they are beginning to worry about the question of what to do.
If the scraping lasts no more than ten seconds and does not affect the structure of the teeth, then the parents need not worry. As the child grows and develops, bruxism can pass by itself without outside interference. Most often, by the age of seven, the gnashing of teeth in children occurs in single cases.
If the cause is the presence of nervous disorders in the child, then in this case therapy is required to get rid of bruxism.
With dental problems, a dentist may recommend wearing special protective attachments for the night to prevent a traumatizing of the teeth.
The doctor can prescribe vitamin-mineral therapy, designed to compensate for the lack of vitamins, since their deficiency can contribute to the pathological convulsivity of the masticatory muscles.
Chewing sweets can also act as a good simulator for teeth.
It should be remembered that the child himself can not determine the moment when he needs to go to bed, and the day is over. In this case, the adult acts as a regulator of the child's day regimen. And late bedding increases the risk of developing bruxism several times. Increased fatigue and a large number of impressions during the day can contribute to the overexcitement of the nervous system and the appearance of a gnashing of teeth during sleep.
Waking up in the morning, a child may experience discomfort in the mouth due to clenched jaw muscles. Doctors recommend doing a morning rinse with a decoction of chamomile, as she
Sometimes a simple conversation between parents and the child makes it possible to find out the true cause of this grinding. The presence of fears and doubts, which the child is afraid to share, but they are present in his mind, allow such an unpleasant symptom as gnashing of teeth to appear. Only a warm spiritual atmosphere, active listening to the child and support from the parents will help him cope with his fears and as a result, the gnashing of teeth in the dream will cease by itself.