The Best Pediatric Dental Office in Kearney Gives Information on Teeth Grinding —Children may have a keen awareness of how other people behave, but they still have a limited understanding of how they themselves behave. Even adults have problems identifying when they begin clenching their own jaw while grinding their teeth.
This is especially true for those who grind their teeth while sleeping. Because of the fact that children are more likely than adults to grind their teeth, it is extremely important for parents to be informed of the symptoms, the reasons, and the treatments available for this condition.
The Best Pediatric Dental Office in Kearney Asks, “What exactly is bruxism, though?”
Bruxism is the technical term for the habit of clenching one’s jaw and grinding one’s teeth.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 36 percent of children will grind their teeth on at least one occasion every week (AASM). There is a possibility that as many as one-seventh of all children grind their teeth on a regular basis. If the behavior is not addressed at an early age, one-third of children will carry the practice into adulthood.
The Best Pediatric Dental Office in Kearney Explains Bruxism Signs
The majority of individuals connect clenching and grinding their teeth with emotions of stress, concern, or worrisome actions caused by anxiety. Surprisingly, children may also be vulnerable to the effects of this. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) asserts that teeth grinding does have a relationship to poor behavior in school, particularly when accompanied with withdrawn behavior, despite the fact that it does not appear to be a direct cause of bad behavior in school.
The Best Pediatric Dental Office in Kearney Explains, “What are the indicators that someone is clenching their jaw or grinding their teeth?”
- It might be challenging to identify bruxism. Even in these cases, the symptoms can be highly elusive, making it challenging to recognize the condition in the absence of a trained eye.
- The fact that children, just like adults, could not even be aware that they are clenching or grinding their teeth isn’t going to help matters at all!
Pediatric dental specialists in Kearney recommend that you look for:
- Jaw pain or stiffness, especially first thing in the morning
- Having a jaw that is too tight can be painful and make eating difficult
- Constant stress, headaches, and earaches can be the result of sleeping with a clattering, grinding, or other similar sound
- Having difficulties falling or staying asleep, or being afraid of bedtime (associating sleep with pain)
- Mouth movements are made by the kid while they are engaged in activities such as watching television, reading, learning, or concentrating on a task (from clenching)
- In a confined space, gestures for the child to make with their mouths (from clenching)
The Best Pediatric Dental Office in Kearney Answers, What Causes the Teeth to Become Crushed?
The particular cause of bruxism is unclear, and each individual case of the condition is distinct. Some children were able to clench their teeth because they had crooked teeth. Some people may adopt the habit of teething in order to alleviate the discomfort caused by teething and to stimulate the production of endorphins.
Children may also adopt this practice as a coping technique for anxiety or nervousness, similar to how they may bite their nails or pluck their eyebrows. One final possibility is that some youngsters unconsciously grind their teeth while sleeping.
The Best Pediatric Dental Office in Kearney Answers, “What kind of treatment is available for bruxism?”
Even though not every circumstance requires immediate attention, juvenile patients may have long-term consequences such as a higher incidence of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), jaw issues, headaches, dental sensitivity, and damaged enamel. These can all be avoided by seeking treatment from pediatric dental specialists in Kearney as soon as possible.
Because of the singular nature of each occurrence of teeth grinding, a tailored treatment approach may involve the following:
- Nighttime mouth guards for people who grind their teeth in their sleep and for unconscious sleep grinders
- Using sealants that are both preventive and restorative to safeguard the tooth enamel
- Braces to solve alignment difficulties
- Seek out counseling or therapy in order to alleviate the underlying stress.
Talk therapy may be particularly helpful for children who have unintentionally picked up habits as a means of coping with the stress of daily life, similar to the way that adults unconsciously clench their teeth when awake. In either scenario, the child has to go to the dentist to have their teeth checked out by pediatric dental specialists in Kearney and to have a consultation about the many treatment options that are available.
We hope you found this blog to be informative if you, your child, or someone else you know is having issues with teeth grinding. The health of your teeth is vital to good oral health and just your whole-body health in general. By taking preventative measures to reduce the wear and tear of teeth grinding, you are making positive progress toward improving your overall well-being.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your or your loved one’s teeth-grinding issues, our friendly team at Shoal Creek, a leading pediatric dental office in Kearney, is ready to help. Contact us today!
Shoal Creek has gone to great lengths, from the design of our office buildings to the quality of the assistance we provide to our clients, to provide an atmosphere that is welcoming to families with small children. The dental practices of pediatric dentistry in Kearney, Missouri.
Shoal Creek Pediatric Dentistry is your source for pediatric dental services in Kearney, MO.
The areas surrounding the city were constructed with the express purpose of providing a soothing, stress-free atmosphere in which both you and your child can feel at ease and confident about the quality of dental care that is being provided to them. In order to win your confidence as a children’s dentist in Kearney, Missouri and the surrounding regions, the kids dentist in Kearney will treat your kid with the same kind of care, sensitivity, and patience that you would treat them yourself.