What are the causes and harms of teeth grinding at night in children?
Studies have shown that night teeth grinding in children is associated with snoring, poor tooth occlusion, mental and psychological factors, deficiencies in certain elements, genetic factors, etc. At present, it is generally believed that teeth grinding is a sleep behavior problem mediated by the central nervous system with a certain degree of arousal, and the pathogenesis is still unclear.
Teeth grinding at night in children can not only damage the teeth and periodontal tissues, but also cause headaches, jaw muscle pain, fatigue and other discomforts. According to statistics, the incidence of teeth grinding tends to decrease as children get older.
What kind of teeth grinding requires intervention? How to intervene?
There are many causes of nocturnal teeth grinding in children, not all of which must be treated, and there are no clear criteria for when clinical intervention is needed. In general, when teeth grinding has an adverse effect on a child, it means that intervention is needed.
For the management of nocturnal teeth grinding in children, aggressive search for the cause is key. The use of a bite splint is the most common treatment for teeth grinding in children, which reduces tooth damage, reduces pain, and makes the bite more fixed. Psychological counseling, relaxation training, etc., can reduce children's psychological stress, which requires professional intervention. Discomfort such as soreness and swelling of the masticatory muscles caused by teeth grinding can be relieved by massaging the masticatory muscles and relaxing exercises. Some children with poor occlusion of teeth may need orthodontic treatment if necessary.
It doesn't matter if children grind their teeth, baby teeth always need to be replaced (×)
Parents who think this way are really careless. In order to make the upper and lower teeth run in better during the tooth replacement period (6~13 years old), the phenomenon of teeth grinding is common. However, long-term and frequent teeth grinding before the tooth replacement period still needs attention. If the cause of teeth grinding is not properly observed and intervened, children may continue to grind their teeth after the tooth replacement period, which is not only less effective but also more difficult.
Content Sources:
People's Medical Publishing House published "Scientific Guardianship, Healthy Growth"
Organize the writing:
Department of Publicity, National Health Commission
Editor-in-Chief of the book:
Ni Xin, an expert of the National Health Science Popularization Expert Database, Chief Physician and Professor of Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University