A child grinds his teeth in a dream: causes and treatment

According to statistics, every fifth child grinds his teeth during sleep. Despite this prevalence, this process is not normal. In the medical language, grinding of teeth is called “burxism”. It may indicate pathological processes occurring in the body of the child. In addition, Burxism has very unpleasant consequences. Why does this pathology arise and how to deal with it?

Causes of occurrence

Doctors of various specialties conducted research in order to understand the etiology of Burxism. However, they failed to come to a consensus. It is impossible to say exactly why some children grit their teeth at night, while others do not. Nevertheless, it was possible to find out that there are a number of diseases, pathological processes and body conditions that most often lead to burxism. The main ones are the following:

1. Teething. Children under 7 years old may suffer from Burxism due to the fact that their teeth are being cut. In this case, the gums itch, and the only way to scratch them in a dream is the movement of the jaw and the friction of the teeth. This reason is not a pathology, but before going to bed, it is necessary to give the child drugs that reduce itching.
2. Nightmares. There is an opinion that gnashing of teeth is a phenomenon similar to talking during sleep or sleepwalking. This explains why it does not occur in everyone and only during sleep, but it is difficult to prove this theory.
3. Changes in the dentition. Dentists believe that burxism occurs due to improper development of the upper or lower jaw, as well as changes in the temporomandibular apparatus.
4. Stress. The child does not perceive the world as adults. For him, stress can be any situation, even one that would not cause any reaction in an adult. During the day, the child restrains his emotions, and at night they go free, manifested by gnashing of teeth.
5. Helminthic invasion. This is another theory that has not been verified by anyone. It is believed that a child grinds his teeth at night if he has pinworms in his body. This can be explained by the fact that these parasites are more active at night, they cause itching in the anus, interfering with sleep, the child is nervous and begins to grit his teeth in his sleep.
6. Adenoids. This is called an increase in the nasopharyngeal tonsil. When it grows, the passage of air through the nasopharynx is difficult, it becomes difficult for the child to breathe through the nose, and he breathes through the mouth. The mouth is not intended for long breathing, because the mucous membrane dries up, and the child begins to grit his teeth. Almost all children with adenoids have Burxism.
7. Heredity. It is difficult to explain this reason. It is proved that the likelihood of Burxism in children whose parents once gritted their teeth is higher than in children whose parents did not suffer from this pathology.
8. Weaning. For a child, this process is real stress. Therefore, at night, the sucking reflex is activated, but instead of sucking, the baby begins to grit his teeth. In this case, Burxism will pass when the child gets used to eating adult food and ceases to “miss” her mother’s chest.
9. Functional changes in the spine. They are associated with impaired posture, injuries, or simply incorrect posture during sleep. In this case, the rattle occurs reflexively due to compression of the spinal cord.
10. The first manifestations of epilepsy. This reason is less common than others, but also possible. Convulsive readiness of the brain at night manifests itself in the form of burxism. The danger is that it can develop into a real generalized epileptic seizure.

Why is Burxism dangerous?

If a child only occasionally grinds his teeth, this may not affect his state of health. The rattle that occurs every night is dangerous. This can lead to the following types of pathology:

• Erasing tooth enamel;
• Inflammation in the oral cavity (periodontitis, gingivitis);
• Teething disorder
• Violation of the change of milk teeth to permanent;
• Malocclusion;
• Morning headache;
• Toothache;
• Stiffness in the temporomandibular joint;
• Tinnitus in the morning;
• Trismus is a spasm of chewing muscles;
• Sleep disturbance;
• Irritability, tearfulness.

In addition, it is important to find the cause of Burxism, since it can also be dangerous. Adenoid growths, if not cured in time, can cause the development of mental retardation due to chronic hypoxia of the brain. Stress negatively affects the psyche of the child, it can not be ignored. A stressful baby needs specialized help. Epilepsy is a serious illness, it is important to see its first signs and prevent the development of a generalized attack.

How to treat night teeth grinding

Sometimes this pathology goes away on its own. According to statistics, burxism is observed only in every 10 adults. This means that in half of the children it passes with age. But, in order to prevent the development of unpleasant consequences, it is better to get rid of the rattle as soon as possible. First of all, you need to contact specialists. A dentist, a neurologist, an otorhinolaryngologist and a psychiatrist will help find the cause of Burxism and cure it.

Most often, the following methods of treating night grinding of teeth are used:

1. Wearing a mouth guard. Capa is a special device made of plastic, worn on the teeth. It is often used by wrestling athletes. A children's mouth guard is made by an individual dentist. It is necessary to prevent the erasure of tooth enamel and the development of inflammation in the oral cavity.
2. Bite change. Sometimes wearing a braces and leveling your bite helps stop teeth grinding. But for this it is necessary to be sure that the cause of burxism is precisely the change in the bite.
3. Prescribing sedatives. Pills like valerian or glycine will help your baby calm down. However, you should know that they are not sleeping pills, and sometimes even prevent falling asleep.
4. Psychotherapy. This is a very effective method, and not only if the rattle is caused by a stress factor. Perhaps the passage of family psychotherapy. Building relationships in the family often helps to get rid of many health problems in the child.
5. Resection of the nasopharyngeal tonsil. If adenoids are the cause of burxism, this is the only way to cure this pathology. An ENT doctor will help in this.
6. Prescribing anticonvulsants. They are necessary if nightly grinding of teeth is a sign of the development of epilepsy. Carbamazepines and valproates will reduce the convulsive readiness of the brain and prevent the development of a generalized epileptic seizure.
7. Help during teething. It is enough to buy a special gel for cutting teeth in the pharmacy. It has anesthetic effect, reduces pain and itching.

Thus, we can conclude that the appearance of Burxism in a child should alert his parents. It is important to identify the cause of this condition as soon as possible and begin treatment. An ENT doctor, dentist, neurologist and psychiatrist or psychotherapist can treat a child who grinds his teeth at night, depending on the associated pathology. Sometimes burxism disappears on its own.

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