Many children suffer from such a problem as bruxism - gritting their teeth in their sleep. What is the reason and how to deal with it, which doctors should be consulted? In our material we will tell the most important nuances that will help to cope with the problem.
The main causes of rattle
Many parents, having heard the rattle, often sin on the appearance of worms, and then begin to “feed” the child with pills. But while many of them are unaware that this problem may be caused by other reasons, which include:
- tensions and stresses;
- commonplace habit;
- jaw structure;
- problem with adenoids;
- teething;
- parasites.
Moreover, in some cases, it is almost impossible to establish the exact cause, or several of them cause grinding at once.
The screech itself can be both at night (most often) and during the day.
Why does this happen at night
Often adults, especially at the moment of anger, squeeze their jaws with force, which leads to the emergence of a rattle. Children do the same, but only subconsciously - at night our brain analyzes all the events that occurred during the day. And it should be remembered that the kids are much sharper experiencing stress, as a result of which there is a rattle.
In addition, the gnash, or bruxism, usually appears during the period of REM sleep. At the same time, eyes are actively moving, muscle twitching is observed. Often the problem can be caused by walking or talking in a dream, which is also a night manifestations of stress and nerves.
Do not panic, because it is not a mental disorder - over time, children simply "outgrow" the disease. It is for this reason that this problem is usually observed in active kids, who began to speak early and move.
Noticing that the baby suffers from sleepwalking, which can be accompanied by gnashing of teeth, try not to wake him - you just need to protect the child and try to carefully put him in bed. It happens that the rattle is accompanied by enuresis, which is also a symptom of nervous tension. In this case, you can not do without the help of a neurologist and a psychologist.
The child grits his teeth in the afternoon - what is the reason?
If the rattle is observed during the day, the reasons are usually as follows:
Bad habits
It is worth remembering that children love to repeat everything for adults. It’s enough a couple of times for them to see how mom or dad grit his teeth, they start repeating it. Moreover, this habit is harmful, to wean from which is very difficult - in some cases it is impossible to do without a specialist. But first, just try, noticing the appearance of bruxism, to distract the baby - if you do it all the time, it is likely that the habit will disappear.
Weaning
Often in babies who have several milk teeth in their mouth, such a problem occurs after weaning or nipples, because after that, the habit of sucking is still there. Rattle can be accompanied by the desire to constantly keep your finger in your mouth.
Malocclusion
Often, bruxism can appear with the wrong bite or the special structure of the jaw. In this case, only a dentist will help solve the problem.
Adenoids
Often with the growth of tonsils, children begin to grit their teeth, breathe heavily. During such a period, immunity usually begins to decline, various diseases appear. And there is no need to immediately run and remove the tonsils - the operation can be performed only in case of difficulty breathing, frequent diseases.
It is worth noting that the complicated breathing not only leads to the appearance of rattle, but also causes a lack of oxygen, which stops the development of the baby.
Teething
Often, young parents observe gnashing of babies in such a period. And all because the eruption occurs in all people in different ways: it all depends on the general state, the pain threshold. And in this case, bruxism can attack both at night and during the day.
To help the child, it is necessary to apply ointments, special gels that relieve swelling and inflammation, help the teeth to penetrate faster. In order for the child not to suffer from tooth gnashing, it is necessary during this period to pay more attention to him, to follow the changes in his behavior.
Worms
Worms are one of the most common causes of rattle. Helminths interfere with nerve muscle transmission, worsen brain saturation with oxygen, which makes a person nervous, the child’s sleep becomes “ragged.”
Ways to get rid of the problem in a child
If bruxism appears a couple of times a day for 10-15 seconds, you can ignore the problem of attention - in most cases, children outgrow it. But you can help: to establish a dream, to avoid active games before bedtime, to limit the time at the computer.
In no case do not disregard this problem, because gnashing can lead to unpleasant consequences: damage to the tooth enamel, tooth crumbling. There are other consequences:
- severe headaches;
- discomfort in the jaw;
- pathology of the jaws, which can also cause the appearance of gastrointestinal diseases.
If you have noticed bruxism, then you should show the child to specialists:
- Therapist, who must prescribe blood tests, send to check the worms.
- A dentist who has to check the condition of the bite or jaw.
- Neuropathologist or psychologist.
If the main reason is the presence of helminths, then all family members need to be tested, since the parasites are incredibly infectious. If the problem is of a dental nature, the treatment will consist in correcting the existing pathologies, for which they usually use silicone tires, and they can be worn from the age of three.
The presence of such tires is mandatory because they protect the teeth from abrasion of the enamel. They are usually worn before bedtime, which is as comfortable as possible for the child. The presence of such tires not only eliminates the squeak and damage to the teeth, but also leads to the formation of a normal bite.
If the problem is in neurology, you need to help the child relax, create for him the most favorable atmosphere, including:
- Long walks with the baby - the more fresh air, the better and calmer the sleep.
- Limit it from anything that could cause nervous tension. For example, you should not allow him to often spend time at the computer, try to avoid crowded places of a large number of people, this can cause stress. If the child is hyperactive, try to direct his energy in a peaceful way.
- Do not give your baby before bedtime drink, which can cause excitation of the nervous system. This includes any carbonated drinks, strong tea.
- At bedtime, using the dry heat method, warm the areas of the chewing muscles.
If your child suffers from gnashing of teeth, do not immediately worry, “pushing” everything on parasites and give antihistamines. It is imperative to consult a doctor and do not forget that a common cause of this problem is nervous overexcitement and poor sleep.
