Teeth Grinding In School Aged Kids
If you have a school aged child that you have heard grinding their teeth at night, then you want to take them to the dentist as soon as you can get them an appointment. The dentist will more than likely want to get them into a night guard so they don't do permanent damage to their teeth. Then, you will want to get to the reasons why they are doing this so you can work on stopping them altogether. Here are some of the more common reasons a school aged child may be grinding their teeth:
A big change in their routine
Young children can take a big change in their regular routine hard. If you know your child is more sensitive than some to schedule changes, then you may have found the reason. Think about any recent changes in your regular day to day routine that may have caused them to feel overwhelmed. If there is a way to go back to the routine they are comfortable with and used to, then you may want to consider doing so for now.
You can slowly change things over a period of time if it is necessary. If you don't have the option of doing this, then you may want to try to change something back to the way it was. If even this isn't possible, then you can implement strategies to make the recent changes easier on them. If they are going to a new school, see if they can bring their favorite toy with them if they keep it in their backpack. Just knowing it is with them may make them more comfortable. Or you may want to send them to school with a picture of the family. See if you can call them during lunch, or maybe even stop by the school to eat lunch with them for a while.
A change in the household
If someone has moved out of the home and it has caused your child to be upset, then you may want to increase their phone calls or visits with the person who moved out. If this isn't possible, you may want to have them write letters to that person, which will help them to get some of those feelings out in a positive manner.
A change in diet
If your child has been eating more sugars lately than they normally do, then it may be causing them to go to bed with more pent up energy. This energy can show itself in the form of teeth grinding. If you feel that this may be the case, then try cutting back on those sugars and you should see the teeth grinding come to a halt.
A change in their medication
If your child takes medication for ADHD or another condition, then talk to their doctor to see if they feel the medication may be causing them to grind their teeth. Their medication may need a slight adjustment in the dosage or there may be a different type of medication that they can be switched to.
Whether you find a solution to your child's teeth grinding problem or not, you need to take your child in to see the dentist so that the dentist can assess the damage to your child's teeth. The dentist may fit your kid with a mouth guard to prevent further damage. For more information and options, contact a dental clinic, or visit websites like http://belgradedental.com/.
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