I took Michael to a new dentist yesterday. There was nothing wrong with his old dentist, it was just a little bit of a trek and I got lost every time I went there. And this dentist had his preschool come in for a field trip and I am nothing if not a slave to marketing.
His teeth look great, no cavities, except that his is grinding his teeth at night so much she thought he had chipped one of his teeth. He actually has ground one of his teeth in half. The dentist thinks he is stressed.
"Stressed!," was my response, "he is four years old. His preschool heart wants for nothing."
"Any changes in the family? Divorce, death?"
"No, nothing. He had an accident at preschool that left him pretty stressed for a week or so but he seems to be over it."
"This is long term damage. You are talking 6 months to a year."
"What can we do?"
"Hope it clears up before his permanent teeth come in at 6. If he is still doing it we are looking at night guards. But we need to get to the root of the issue."
Root of the issue? Are you kidding me? Is he worried about paying the mortgage? What the hell does this kid have to be worried about except giving me more things to worry about?
I guess I'll be signing him up for therapy at the ripe old age of four.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
I was an incredibly stressed child, and I wanted for nothing. If my mom was worried about it, I was worried about it. I’m certainly not trying to blame you for anything, but be conscious that (with some kids) a stressed mama (or dad, obviously) can be a huge source of stress. On the flip side, my little brother was a tooth-grinder (still is, actually) due to stresses at school. Maybe look into that?
It’s easy as adults to look at children and see a worry-free, leisurely existence, but for some kids, it’s just not. I hope you are able to get this figured out!
Forgot to add … The news, commercials about starving kids in Africa, and sad/scary movies would also set me off, even as a very small child. And I kept it all to myself, because my mom had “enough to worry about”, you know?
I ground my teeth as a kid too. Wouldn’t worry about it.
My sister ground her baby teeth way down when she was little. But then her permanent teeth were just fine. Hopefully he’ll just grow out of it!
I’ve been grinding my teeth since I was a kid. I ignored the problem for a long time, thinking the dentist was crazy. But I finally got a night guard when I was 18, although the damage was done. I have crowns on all my molars because I ground down all my teeth.
But the thing is, I always do it. I don’t feel sore when I get up and I don’t even know that I’m doing it. I wear the night guard to protect my teeth, but I honestly just think it is a habit.
Among the BoyChild’s various problems, he also grinds his teeth. It is worse when he’s having a tough stretch but I’m not sure what is cause and what is effect. The BoyChild’s OT said she started grinding her teeth as a child and still does it.
Not much help, but I think it is more common than people know which might help you feel a little better about it.
Among the BoyChild’s various problems, he also grinds his teeth. It is worse when he’s having a tough stretch but I’m not sure what is cause and what is effect. The BoyChild’s OT said she started grinding her teeth as a child and still does it.
Not much help, but I think it is more common than people know which might help you feel a little better about it.
Among the BoyChild’s various problems, he also grinds his teeth. It is worse when he’s having a tough stretch but I’m not sure what is cause and what is effect. The BoyChild’s OT said she started grinding her teeth as a child and still does it.
Not much help, but I think it is more common than people know which might help you feel a little better about it.
Among the BoyChild’s various problems, he also grinds his teeth. It is worse when he’s having a tough stretch but I’m not sure what is cause and what is effect. The BoyChild’s OT said she started grinding her teeth as a child and still does it.
Not much help, but I think it is more common than people know which might help you feel a little better about it.
I ground my teeth down to nubs as a kid. This went on for years. I eventually stopped and my permanent teeth are fine…and to my knowledge I didn’t have any deeper issues.
oh no….could it be the move? Maybe talk to his ped. Good luck!
It’s probably because you work outside the home. Or maybe it’s because you’re not in the office full-time. Or maybe it’s because he’s spoiled, what with all that affection and food and shelter you give him.
Dammit, I’m a terrible troll.
I’ve always ground my teeth, They are all still attached.
Interesting. You know I was just having a sleep study done last week (and have to go back again June 3rd, grrr) for sleep apnea. I think they might actually sometimes do sleep studies on people for tooth grinding too. I don’t know if they do them at four though.
My mother and youngest sister are tooth grinders, but then my other sister and I aren’t. I never thought much about it other than just another of those things people sometimes have, like sleep apnea. No one ever says “well, she doesn’t breathe when she sleeps, she must be stressed out or have some underlying mental issue.”
It would be interesting to hear what a ped would say about it. (Revving up my google engines!)
I hate to hear this! I’ve worn a nightguard for over 20 years, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have any teeth left
It’s really not that bad, if that is the route he needs to go. Some of us just have a lot more nervous energy than others, I suppose!
I think some kids do this just because they think it sounds or feels cool.
I ground (grinded?) my teeth as a kid, too. In my sleep. I was an extremely sensitive kid, and probably did get stressed out from time to time.
I also grind my teeth as an adult when things get abnormally stressful. I’m a big jaw clencher, too. I usually just have jaw pain that clues me into the excessiveness of it all and then I keep it in check. The dentist said I should wear a mouth guard. Whatever.
My kids grind like crazy and our dentist, who is the best in our city, always reassured me that it was just a product of their growing, changing, adjusting mouth. He said as their teeth stop coming in/falling out and the jaw reaches it’s adult size the grinding will stop. Sounds to me like the dentist is trying to get you to spring for a $500 night guard. If you are still concerned, get him a sports mouthguard, fit it to him and see how he does.