When small children grind their teeth at night, is that a serious problem that should be looked into? Usually the reason why a young child will grind their teeth is because their teeth are growing in, breaking through the skin, and other things are changing in their mouth as well.
These things can all be very annoying and as a result the child develops a habit of grinding their teeth.
So, at what age does it become an issue if they don't stop? Definitely, the older the child the more of a problem it might be.
If a young kid starts grinding their teeth as they grow in and then continues to do it long afterward, this might potentially be a problem.
With any kind of bruxism in children or adults, you always want to stop the damage from happening before it is too late.
In the case of small kids, your pediatrician should be a good source of answers for things like teeth grinding as it is somewhat common in children.
There is no specific cure for bruxism but you doctor may have and idea or suggestion of something you can do to try to stop the problem.
However, as every child is different, there is no guarantee that what he suggests will work.
Adults are usually made aware that they might be grinding their teeth from their dentists who see the wear from years of grinding.
Something like bruxism may not show up for years as teeth are strong and there will be no evidence of it right away.
This is why sometimes a spouse may be the only one who knows a person is a grinder by hearing the grinding at night.
With children though, there might not be any wear at all because there might not have been enough time for any evidence of the grinding to show up.
It is usually the parents who know there is a problem after they hear their child grinding when they fall asleep at night.
If you suspect your child suffers from bruxism it is suggested that you talk to your doctor right away so that something can be figured out before the problem really becomes a problem.