Childish bruxism: why do you squeeze and grind your teeth?
The habit of clenching and grinding the teeth is not exclusive to adults: it is increasingly common for children to clench or grind their teeth unconsciously, especially between 6 and 10 years of age, at the stage of the fall of the milk teeth and the exit of the final teeth.
In fact, it is estimated that between 80% and 90% of children in this stage present what specialists call child bruxism that, unlike the bruxism of adults, is not considered a pathology and usually disappears spontaneously when entering adolescence. And as in the case of adults, affects both sexes equally.
What do we call child bruxism?
The child bruxism in fact it is a natural way to develop the dentition and stimulate the formation of the musculature and the bones of the jaw, and it diminishes progressively when leaving the definitive molars and the incisive teeth. For this reason, initially no treatment is necessary and we let some time pass, as it is a physiological process.
However, if it lasts over time, after several months, it can cause negative effects in the child such as pain and inflammation in the jaw, headaches and hearing, as well as wear and tear on the teeth. In this case, the parents should take the child to a specialist in dentistry so that they can look for the causes and treat them in an appropriate way to solve the problem.
Causes of childhood bruxism
Although there is a popular belief that children grind their teeth as a consequence of supposed intestinal parasites, the medical literature does not support the relationship between children squeezing and grinding their teeth with the presence of intestinal parasites. On the contrary, we talk about stress and other causes of physiological order.
From the clinical point of view, among the causes of child bruxism We can find reasons of psychological origin, among which the most common are the beginning of the school year, a change of school, a move, the birth of a little brother or a separation, triggers a stressful situation for the child.
In addition to the causes of psychological origin, we find those of physical origin, such as fall of the milk teeth and appearance of the final teeth. During this stage in which definitive teeth coexist with temporary teeth, the anomalous contact between the lower arch and the upper arch is more frequent. Another factor is malocclusion, that is, the bad position of the teeth that interferes with closing the jaw.
Bruxism is not always a symptom of a problem: between two and six years of age we consider it normal for children to wear their teeth lightly with normal masticatory movements. This activity allows the normal physiological growth of the jaws and, in case of hearing them grinding the teeth, without excessive wear or breakage of teeth, this is a normal form of grinding for maxillo-facial growth.
When does it stop being normal to become bruxism?
When the movements of the masticatory muscles - those that help us in the process of mastication - are not normal. This movement can be conscious or unconscious and can occur day or night. When it occurs at night, the most usual, we are dealing with an unconscious habit. And not all children exhibit the same type of bruxism: if they clench their teeth, we talk about downtown bruxism, and when the child grinds his teeth - he makes an abnormal movement for the teeth - we talk about eccentric bruxism.
The rhythmic and repetitive contraction of the muscles of the mastication is audible to the parents and is more intense in the initial stages of sleep, disappearing when the child goes into deep sleep. Although the grinding of teeth is audible to parents, sometimes they do not identify it. In these cases, other warning signs may be that the child reports headache, earache, pain and inflammation in the jaw and present a poor sleep.
How to mitigate the effects of child bruxism
Here are five tips to mitigate the effects that child bruxism can cause in your child and are based, fundamentally, on getting a relaxed and calm before going to sleep:
1. Decrease your physical and mental activity before you sleep. You can use relaxation techniques, but the best method is to start the moment of relaxation with a calm and relaxing bath, followed by a pleasant dinner and a quiet time with the family, such as reading a story together before going to sleep. It is important that you do not go sad or angry to bed.
2. Avoid parafunctional habits, like biting your nails, lips or other objects, like pencils or sucking your hair.
3. Avoid intense physical activity before the bath
Four. Do not let him fall asleep in front of the TV and prevents you from spending time on video games or activities with the Tablet before going to sleep.
5. If you hear him squeaking at night while he sleeps, Change your posture and see if the noise stops. If you notice symptoms of clenching, take it to your dentist. Your child may be developing a malocclusion that aggravates the bruxism and it is convenient to be diagnosed by a specialist as soon as possible.
Infantile bruxism occurs when the child clenches and grinds his teeth, usually while he sleeps, and parents must be alert to his evolution and intensity, trying to reduce the possible causes that cause him to sleep more relaxed and calm and avoid problems derived from this disorder.
Childish bruxism, when should parents be alerted?
When the grinding is accompanied by pain and other alterations, or when it lasts for more than six months or a year. In that case, it is important to go to a specialist who makes a proper diagnosis and remedy, otherwise, it could cause a wear on the tooth enamel that should not be neglected because it is the temporary dentition, since, more beyond its immediate function, it plays an important role as a guide for permanent dental pieces towards their final placement.
The treatment of childhood bruxism
When we have visited a specialist and he has determined that our child does have a bruxism problem, we have several treatment options, generally without much complexity, but the first step we will take is to protect the teeth from excessive wear by what we call a discharge splint or myorelaxing plate: it is a removable plate made of resin, a transparent material that the child will use to sleep.
In addition, we will carry out a study of its dental occlusion to make the corresponding adjustments. If we are facing a problem of malocclusion, you will see the opportunity to start an orthodontic treatment to align the teeth correctly and balance the forces.
Even though Bruxism in childhood can be corrected, the key is that the parents take the child to the dentist, if possible, with the eruption of the first tooth, but if it has not been done, the first visit should be made after four years and, from there, habituate him to perform controls every six months to be able to teach them the basic principles of oral hygiene and the necessary care for their mouth and teeth. In this way, we will help prevent and treat bad habits and detect other conditions and diseases early.
Marisol Nuevo Espín
