Should I be worried that my daughter grinds her teeth when she sleeps?

Not “worried” (we had that discussion earlier), but concerned. Talk to a dentist.

Good question for your dentist. It’s not good for your teeth, and in adults, it can lead to migraines. My daughter wears a mouthguard at night, but that might be difficult for a 4 year old to do.

@CyanoticWasp I am sorry I usually stick to the social section and missed it.
@BarnacleBill Well they say you don’t take the kid to the dentist til they are five. I would find a mouthguard hard to sleep with. Does your daughter?

Who says don’t take your child to the dentist until they are five? Even if they’re not getting a cleaning, you take them in, let them meet the dentist, ride in the chair, have the dentist look in their mouths and maybe squirt a little water on their teeth and suction it out. It gets them used to going to the dentist and helps them to understand that they don’t need to be scared.

Yes, take your daughter to the dentist. Grinding is really bad for her teeth. While a mouthguard might be difficult initially, she will adjust. Kids are often better at that than adults!

@tedibear I have called the dentist offices and they told me they usually don’t see them till they are four or five. My daughter is three soon to be four. I will. I wanted to hear people ho have had the same problem and any suggestion I could do as mom.

A quick visit to Google suggests that this is actually quite common and it has been suggested that it is actually part of the process to loosen milk teeth and allow the adult dentition to erupt. Another theory is that younger children are just experimenting with making noises. From what I can see the general consensus is not to worry about it to much. It seems that most children will actually grow out of this and is no indicator of grinding teeth as an adult. It is highly unlikely that they would make a mouth guard as children’s teeth change so frequently that you don’t get much use from them and constantly have to have them remade.

@Lightlyseared Oh Thanks Lightseared. I appreciate that. I am relieved to hear that

I would be moderately concerned. It can cause long term issues. My boyfriend has this mouth guard he is supposed to wear because he grinds his teeth, and if he doesn’t wear it, he grinds and grinds and often gets a headache the next day…And aside from that, yeah, it just can’t be good for teeth. Especially young teeth. eek.

I think “worried” is a bit strong, but you should probably talk to your dentist about it. Long term tooth grinding can cause premature wear. If it is pronounced enough, there are mouth guards made to protect against this.

My daughter would grind her teeth and my son did not. both grew up with beautiful, normal teeth. i would say not to worry. i had both examples with my children and both turned out okay.

I am a dentist. Most little kids do this. It’s really scary when you hear them do it. They do grow out of it, it doesn’t affect their adult teeth. But you could ask about it when she has a check-up.

Find a dentist that specializes in working with children.

yes I am 48 and I have been grinding my teeth for years my teeth are barely above my gums

I wouldn’t “worry” since these are not her permanent teeth but to be safe I check with a dentist.
Keep her smile beautiful.

Do not worry, but take steps to correct the problem. Bruxism can wear the teeth down. Although she doesn’t have permanent teeth yet, you want to break or mitigate this habit before it causes damage to her actual permanent teeth. Take your daughter to a dentist. S/he will probably recommend a mouth guard, which the dentist can make for your daughter at the cost of about $300—$500, or you can get a cheaper one for anywhere between $1—$30 at the drug store.