7 year old pacifier

[knee_deep_with_1]

Good morning everyone, I was hoping to hear your thoughts on my situation. My daughter is 7 and grinds her teeth at night ALOT. Her dentist recommended a mouth guard which we were using for about a month and she would have a fit every single night because it hurt her mouth and I hated to see her in pain. I dont know where I can up with the idea of trying a pacifier but she was willing to try anything to avoid having to use the guard. I have been allowing her to use a pacifier at night since then and I wanted to know if I am doing more harm then good to allow it. She is sleeping alot better and she is waking up less grumpy in the morning. I do tell her that its only for night because there were times I would find her laying down watching tv in the living room with it in her mouth and her excuse is that she was afraid she would fall asleep and she NEEDS it. So, I dont know if its turning into a crutch or what. I would like to hear your opinions on this. Thank you

Mary

[nwatt]

I grind my teeth at night and have to wear a night guard, too. It does hurt a little bit to wear a new one, but after a week or two it goes away. I would think that having her adjust to the night guard would be better than the pacifier for her teeth/jaw.

[knee_deep_with_1]

I told my daughter the same thing but she doesnt want anything to do with the mouth guard anymore and has tried to throw it in the garbage numerous times. I really hate to see her in pain and while I do want whats best for her, I feel its getting to be more of a crutch for her on top of allowing her to have a good nights sleep. I would like her to use the guard again but is it something I should force on her? I do know that 7 is a bit too old for a pacifier but like I said, its making nights easier on the both of us, especially her. Yes, I do shudder when I see a pacifier in my 7 year olds mouth but I just cant bring myself to take it away from her knowing that she will be in pain, not to mention I dont think I could get her to use the guard anyways. Thank you again.

Mary

[AllisonR]

A pacifier is actually less of a problem then thumb sucking, as far as teeth are concerned. I do not know anything about night guards, so won't comment. I have a 3 yo that occasionally grinds her teeth, so I will be watching this thread.

[knee_deep_with_1]

Thanks Allison. My daughter didnt start grinding her teeth till she was about 5 ish. I can actually hear it when I walk in her room to check on her, its that loud. I welcome any thoughts or suggestions good or bad. Thank you again.

Mary

[mama1803]

Teeth grinding is many times the result of a magnesium deficiency.

[knee_deep_with_1]

Originally Posted by mama1803

Teeth grinding is many times the result of a magnesium deficiency.

Wow, I had no idea. Thanks for letting me know that. I am surprised that her dentist never told me that.

Mary

[number572]

Chances are high that her dentist didn't know about/doesn't support the nutritional link.

For me, switching from my regular dentist to a holistic dentist made a huge difference. This new dentist still has all of the latest tools & machines of my other dentist, but this one also will give you the holistic options and she explains the harm of some of the existing procedures.

It really is cool how getting the right amount of nutrients for a person's body can correct SO many issues!

[Mama Mko]

Is her nightguard from the dentist? I tried several over the counter nightguards and they were very uncomfortable. The one I got fitted from the dentist is actually very comfortable for me.

If she's already using one from the dentist, I don't have any other recommendations, sorry. Good luck!

[knee_deep_with_1]

Yes the guard was from her dentist. I will definatly look for another dentist to see if there are other options besides the mouth guard. Are there childrens holistic dentists?

My friends daughter had a pacifier till she was almost 5 and her teeth are perfectly straight so I dont know if allowing her to use it is going to affect her teeth. I can see the prolonged use of a bottle at night ruining a childs teeth from the rotting but I dont see how a pacifier can cause permanemt damage. I will definatly look into holistic dentists, thank you for the tip!

Mary

[GranoLLLy-girl]

Originally Posted by nwatt

I grind my teeth at night and have to wear a night guard, too. It does hurt a little bit to wear a new one, but after a week or two it goes away. I would think that having her adjust to the night guard would be better than the pacifier for her teeth/jaw.

I see what you are saying, but this is a seven year old. I'd let her have the pacifier. If it's a choice between the two--this is what I'd go with. She'll eventually want to do the "big girl" thing--and that's when you switch to the mouth guard. I'm willing to bet she'll initiate the idea of the mouth guard when she's ready. My dd is 7 and has enough trauma in her life--why make more?

[number572]

H, well not sure where you are but here's what I did:

Googled "holistic dentist in my city(your city)"

Called each one from A-Z, finding out if they accept my insurance (b'c I can't afford it if they wouldn't, maybe your situation is ok without insurance?)

MOST important step is checking for online reviews of whichever offices narrowed down to...Yelp.com was a huge, honest source of reviews for my search. Its a site where actual people write in with their reviews.

Once I found one who accepted my plan & also fit what I wanted as far as attitude & treatment options, I scheduled. Took about four hours total and I live in a very big city, so it would probably take you much less if you live in a smaller city.

Most of the offices took the time to explain their treatments and most have a web page with photos of actual jobs they've finished. I'm sure they'd even let you walk thru the facility & meet the dentist before scheduling. It was definitely much easier to simply schedule with the regular dentist... but the more I read about how nutritional changes & alternative treatments are more beneficial than some of the most popular, recommended treatments - in the long run, I had to just do it. Good luck!

[number572]

I thought the link with paci's is to bad teeth/bone formation, from the space that the paci takes. It pushes the teeth to be at a strange angle to the jawbone, which can also cause gaps to form in the jawbone, and then the adult teeth grow in at odd angles, and then it can lead to orthodontics. This makes sense b'c braces are on for a year to two years, typically, and what they do is place pressure to move, on whichever teeth are being treated, yk? It would make sense that a paci, and the space it fits into within the mouth, would displace teeth after a few months or so.

[mama1803]

Originally Posted by number572

Chances are high that her dentist didn't know about/doesn't support the nutritional link.

[verde]

I don't know what you mean by "a crutch." I don't mean to sound snarky but I have never liked that term. I know people who wear earplugs at night because they wake up at the slightest sound. Is that a crutch? I know people who can't stop drinking unless they go to AA meetings. Is that a crutch?

If she's grinding her teeth and the paci works and the mouthguard hurts, it seems like a no-brainer to me. Would you rather have her take pain meds but use the mouthguard?

So it's a paci. So what. It works. She likes it. It's only at night. Stop worrying.

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by mama1803

Teeth grinding is many times the result of a magnesium deficiency.

I was going to mention this and other physical reasons why she may be grinding. Mag was the biggest thing for me, and I still grind/clench at night when I get low, but some folks have had good results with a HCP who provides structural support, someone like a DO who does cranial-sacral (the cranial academy has a way to find someone local), that can help with alignment issues. I'm sure there are other solutions I don't know of, Searching in the Dental forum may be helpful. For my kids, odd behavior stuff often comes down to physical reasons, and finding those solutions makes the problem go away (or at least diminish in intensity).

One thing to avoid is doing nothing. For a while, between dentists maybe? I didn't wear mine and hadn't figured out the magnesium thing, and I put such pressure on some of my teeth that I got cracks in the enamel up near the gumline from the pressure and flexing of the teeth. Whoops.

[number572]

Originally Posted by verde

I don't know what you mean by "a crutch." I don't mean to sound snarky but I have never liked that term. I know people who wear earplugs at night because they wake up at the slightest sound. Is that a crutch? I know people who can't stop drinking unless they go to AA meetings. Is that a crutch?

If she's grinding her teeth and the paci works and the mouthguard hurts, it seems like a no-brainer to me. Would you rather have her take pain meds but use the mouthguard?

So it's a paci. So what. It works. She likes it. It's only at night. Stop worrying.

It's more about finding the cause, really. Altho, I'm completely and wholeheartedly along with your "whatever works for the kids is best" train of thought on alot of other topics.

[pauletoy]

If she has her permanant teeth then I personally would not use the paci. Braces later on are uncomfortable and very expensive, however, there is a chance she could need them anyway. My dd grinds her teeth at night due to allergies and fluid in her ears. When we address the allergies the grinding goes away.

[Ben's Mommy]

You might want to try a NTI dental device. It's not a full on mouth guard and would be much more comfortable for her. My insurance didn't cover it and I think it ran around $300.