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Tooth grinding, or the fancy term: bruxism, is the involuntary, excessive grinding, clenching, or rubbing of the teeth during times that do not include eating.<\/strong>\u00a0 Bruxism can occur during the day or night.\u00a0 No one knows why certain children grind versus others, but it has been shown to be more common in children with developmental difficulties.<\/p>\n Many of the parents I speak with, complain about the nighttime grinding.\u00a0 The sound of teeth being ground together is on top of my list of terrible sounds along with nails on a chalkboard and excessively loud gum chewing.\u00a0 It is the worst!\u00a0 Every year around this time, I begin to hear parents\u2019 concerns about their son or daughter grinding their baby teeth.\u00a0 \u201cIt sounds like they are biting on rocks.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cAre they wearing their teeth to nubs?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI feel like their teeth are going to break in half.\u201d<\/p>\n Nighttime bruxism has been linked in young children that snore, have seasonal allergies and asthma, regular upper airway infections, and obstructive sleep apnea.\u00a0 In younger children, bruxism is not typically an indication of stress.\u00a0 Often, it is due to the changes in the child\u2019s bite as teeth are coming in and subsides as the first permanent molars erupt around age six.<\/p>\n So Doc, what\u2019s the treatment?\u00a0 Unfortunately, mouth guards are not typically recommended because they can be a potential choking hazard.\u00a0 If I am not seeing damage to the enamel, I do not recommend any treatment to stop bruxism.\u00a0 If I feel like it may be linked to a more serious condition, such as, obstructive sleep apnea, then I have the parents address it with the pediatrician to see if the patient needs to be evaluated by an Ear, Nose, and Throat physician.\u00a0 If I do see damage to the enamel, I try to dig a little deeper to evaluate the patient for gastric reflux.\u00a0 If the enamel attrition is severe, I may recommend placing crowns on the affected teeth.<\/p>\n