Why does a child grind his teeth in a dream

Often, mom and dad, awakened in the middle of the night with strange sounds coming from a baby crib, turn to the doctor with a request to explain why their child is creaking with his teeth in a dream. It is difficult to answer this question unequivocally, because there are a lot of reasons for this phenomenon. Let's pay attention to the most basic of them.

Causes of teeth grinding in children during sleep

Each kid grinds his teeth in a dream with varying intensity: sometimes the grinding lasts only a few seconds, and sometimes this sound disturbs the parents for several hours. To date, there are several important factors that contribute to this:

  1. The presence of worms. Although pediatricians believe that such an assumption can not explain why a child squeaks violently with his teeth in a dream, many moms and dads, just in case, begin to give their children anthelmintic drugs. However, do not blindly follow this prejudice: it is better to first pass the analysis of stool and make sure that the protozoa are actually present in the body. After all, extra medicine for your baby is completely useless.
  2. Stressful situation. If a child is severely punished during the day or he has quarreled with one of the children, it is likely that at night you will hear a gnashing of teeth, often accompanied by weeping. Any situation that aggravates the anxiety and anxiety of your child can provoke this phenomenon.
  3. Malocclusion. This is one of the most common reasons why young children grind their teeth in a dream. To make sure of this, contact the dentist, and he will certainly check the structure of the maxillofacial apparatus of the baby. Such violations can lead to improper growth of teeth, chronic or acute form of periodontitis and early erasure of tooth enamel, which in turn causes the development of caries and the increased sensitivity of the gums to cold and hot.
  4. Sleep disturbances. When a child often wakes from nightmares or hardly falls asleep, and then grinds his teeth during sleep, it makes sense to show it to a neurologist.
  5. Enlarged adenoids. Although parents are often surprised why the fact that the child in a dream grinds with teeth, is associated with the proliferation of adenoid tissue, there is a direct dependence. Difficult nasal breathing leads to the fact that the baby begins to instinctively move the jaws.
  6. Hereditary factor. If parents themselves suffer from scratching with their teeth, there is a risk that their child will inherit from them this symptom. It is argued that male representatives are more likely to experience this phenomenon than women.
  7. Predisposition to epilepsy. In the event that there are people with a similar diagnosis among relatives, parents should closely monitor the child who grinds his teeth: this may be a harbinger of an epileptic attack.
  8. Teething. The crumbs begin to itch and itch the gums, and he instinctively squeezes his teeth and tries to rub them against each other, trying to get rid of unpleasant sensations.
  9. Spasm of the muscles, which are accompanied by some joint diseases. Set in this case, why the child grinds his teeth in a dream, is easy, because he often complains of pains in the bones and ligaments. Visit a good rheumatologist in this case is simply necessary.
  10. Weaning. The sucking reflex, which is still very strong, and the negative emotions associated with the infant with the cessation of breastfeeding, can also cause teeth to grind. Therefore, the adaptive period should be taken with special attention, so that this negative habit is not rooted.