Teeth grinding

[susanmary]

Hi all
My one year old was grinding his teeth lots today! Any ideas? Could it be teeth coming through? He also did a lot of a quirky little behaviour that he's been doing for a while, which involves him raising one shoulder up to meet his ear on one side of his head. Oh my quirky wee boy! :-) Any experience is this area would be much appreciated. Thanks

[skycheattraffic]

DD still grinds her teeth sometimes (22 months) and I just try to distract her or redirect. Usually it's just something she does when idle or bored, not while concentrating on something. if I keep her busy or we are out of the house, she doesn't do it.
The quirky little shoulder thing is just harmless cuteness I think. DD will often raise both shoulders up, stiffen her arms and legs and stagger around like a zombie for a few seconds before relaxing and running around normally. She also hangs her head, furrows her brows and pouts her lips very convincingly and as soon as someone gets all concerned and asks "what's wrong, honey?" she whips her head up, grins and giggles. Kids just being kids

[element2012]

Ugh I hate when DD does this!! For some reason it grinds my nerves when she grinds her teeth. It is just a little thing to be silly, like pp mentioned. Second the distraction tactic.

[MrsGregory]

Mine grinds her teeth, I also redirect.  It's not "naughty", so I just gently tell her to stop and then kiss her, or if we're having a super-awesome day, I'll ask what her teeth are doing so she can re-direct herself. 

It's only harmful if it becomes a habit, by my understanding.

[RStelle]

My DD grinds her teeth in her sleep. I'm really worried about it because DW also grinds her teeth and just had to get $1000 worth of dental work because of it. I'm not sure what to do about it, but she is sure to damage her teeth if she keeps doing it.

[susanmary]

Hi all,
Thanks for input. So far I'm trying not to react or pretent to notice it and quickly give him something to chew on or try to distract. Oh the sound is unreal. It almost gives me a physical pain as I dread the damage he could do to himself.

RStelle... That's really tough. I doubt the dentist would fit a mouth guard for a young child? It might be impossible to get your DD to use it even if they did.

I loved the "harmless cuteness" comment Skycheattraffic.

[sassyfirechick]

I was a teeth grinder as a kid.  Some doc along the way told my mother to make me sleep with a mouth guard, but it really did nothing.  Only when I started to see a chiropractor did I stop doing it.  I also had a shoulder twitch and that too went away with regular chiro visits.  Ocasssionally if I'm all bunched up and something is pinched in my neck the twitch comes back but goes away with an adjustment!  I've been taking DD since she was 6wks for preventative adjustements once a month.

[susanmary]

Thanks Sassyfirechick, I don't know anything more than the basic about what chiropractors do. I'm curious though. I can't imagine my 14 month old busy boy being very tolerant of it though. How does it work with your LO?

[sassyfirechick]

Originally Posted by susanmary 

Thanks Sassyfirechick, I don't know anything more than the basic about what chiropractors do. I'm curious though. I can't imagine my 14 month old busy boy being very tolerant of it though. How does it work with your LO?

She's starting to move alot on the table lol!  I usually have special toys to occupy her or when I'm getting adjusted the doc lets her play with tissues or the paper on the table that crinkles.  The chiro I go to is wonderful and she specializes in kids. It's super gentle with babies - no cracking or twisting, they just massage and put gentle pressure to get things to move into place on their own.  I definitely notice the difference in her after an adjustment, she's calmer and relaxes quicker.  When she started going at 6wks she was pretty tense in her lower back and had some colic issues in spite of my being off dairy - the only thing she tested sensitive to at the time, but that all went away.

For me I go to control migraines and if a sinus issue crops up it's instant relief when I get my neck adjusted, so I figured I'd start DD off with preventative visits rather than have her end up a mess like I was and need intensive adjusting to get back on track!  As far as the teeth grinding, I can tell you I was so loud in my sleep doing it that I woke my mother up from the other side of the house every time.  After the first week of adjusting (I was 18 or so when I started going) I stopped doing it and haven't done it since.  I also had a slight jaw pop which went along with the teeth grinding and that went away as well. 

[fizgig]

Obviously this might not be the case ofr your little one, but when I was little I used to grind my teeth like crazy (awake and asleep).  It only finally stopped when I was in high school and started taking a multi vitamin.  Now, I go back to it if I don't get enough B vitamins and calcium/magnesium.  I have no clue how normal that is, but maybe a multi-vitamin would be worth a try? 

[susanmary]

Thank you so much everyone. I'm so happy to report that he hasn't grinded his teeth in 2 days. I've lots of celery sticks prepared in the fridge now that I had on standby to give him to chew as soon as I heard it. I know it could start again any moment and even become a habit like many of you have experienced so thank you all for your helpful advice.

Thanks also for educating me on what your chiropractor helps you with Sassyfirechick. I honestly had no idea they could help with so much. I thought they were just for back pain!

Much appreciated ladies,

Thanks, S