Grinding of teeth in children( bruxism): the causes of appearance, symptoms, treatment characteristics and advice of doctors

Only a few of the parents have never met with such a state as children's bruxism.The child starts to grind his teeth in a dream, frightening the whole family.Moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers are sounding the alarm, trying to figure out what is happening to their beloved child.

They immediately have a fear of an incomprehensible phenomenon and a lot of questions: how serious is it and whether it's dangerous for the baby, why does it arise, is it possible to get rid of this problem, etc.

What is bruxism

BruxismIn translation from Greek means dental scraping( or gnashing teeth ).It is observed in 8-30% of the population( the data vary), and both children and adults suffer.This condition has many names: odonerizm, Carolini phenomenon, bruxism, etc.

Bruxism is a spasm with great force or a reduction in temporal or masticatory muscles.Pathology is characterized by constant compression of teeth or their involuntary clenching.Pathology is paroxysmal and proceeds in a chronic form.

Bruxism affects patients of different ages and gender.Each of them has pain , provoked by the intensity of the facial nerve( such patients are at risk of developing pathologies of the temporomandibular joint).Specialists noted that people suffering from this disease have a violation of occlusion between the lower and upper jaw.

Bruxism is accepted by to be divided into daytime and night .The first type( bruxiomania) is easy to detect and control independently, and as for the second one, it is much more complicated here.After all, a person begins to grind his teeth during sleep, and in the morning he will not even remember about it.As a result, bruxism takes on a neglected form.

Symptoms of pathology

There are several signs of manifestation of bruxism:

• sleep disturbance;
• snapping and gnashing of teeth;
• after waking up, there is headache and toothache, and in some cases - painful sensations to the back, shoulders, neck, and also pain when chewing food;
• during the day can be observed depressive state, ringing and pain in the ears, dizziness and nervous tension, drowsiness;
• during an attack, pulse and breathing quickens, blood pressure changes;The child, waking up, does not remember that he gritted his teeth in a dream.

The duration of an attack of bruxism is 10-15 seconds, the intervals between attacks are different, individual for each person suffering from this pathology.The abrasion of tooth enamel, as well as the increase in the degree of tooth sensitivity, are perhaps the most unpleasant symptoms of bruxism.

And this is true for children with milk teeth, and those who have already had real teeth.Constant friction of results in the destruction of the enamel and the mobility of the teeth.This increases the risk of partial deformation, fractures and loss of teeth of the lower and upper jaw.

In addition, they become very sensitive to everything sweet, sour, cold and hot.Ordinary rinsing of the oral cavity after brushing the teeth becomes a real problem for the child.

And also there may be a violation of bite, inflammation of the gums, blood in the oral cavity.As a result of injury to the surrounding teeth, the loosening and tooth loss and periodontitis( inflammation of the peri-toothed tissues) become a result.

Bruxism in children: causes and treatment

The disease can act as a complication of any pathology of the oral cavity.Children's bruxism is often caused by birth trauma to the skull.

Traditional medicine does not consider bruxism a disease as such, but only a condition that causes a lot of inconvenience to a person: it is on a par with such phenomena as nighttime nightmares, snoring, sleepwalking, etc., which are very hard to get rid of.

The causes of the appearance of bruxism are of a rather diverse nature.Grinding of teeth does not apply only to dental problems, since its appearance is associated with such medical sections as gastroenterology, otolaryngology, psychology , neurology.I must say that each of the above directions of medicine has its own theories about the causes and origin of bruxism.

When viewed from the point of view of dentistry, the main etiological factor causing bruxism in children is bite violation of .

Psychologists adhere to their theory of the origin of bruxism, according to which this phenomenon is caused by nervous breakdowns, depressions of , and constant stresses.If a person falls asleep in a nervous strain, an involuntary contraction of the facial muscles occurs and a dental scraping occurs.

The child's psyche is very vulnerable and sensitive.Therefore, the baby can experience stress even with insignificant, at first glance, situations.For example, a quarrel with friends, moving, unfavorable situation at home, moving, conflicts between parents and even the breakdown of your favorite toys.

The state of stress can be caused by any nervous shock, as well as an overabundance of emotions, including positive ones.That's why experts recommend giving the child all the bright impressions in the morning, and in the evening it's better to create quiet situation : to take the kid in quiet board games or read a good, kind fairy tale.

Any disorder of the nervous system can lead to the appearance of bruxism, with the possibility of epilepsy, attacks of snoring, tremor.Neurology considers the main cause of the appearance of the teeth grinding is the intense state of the chewing muscles of the maxillary section, caused by the violation of the motor neurons of the facial nerve.

However, most people are sure that the gnashing of teeth is due primarily to by the presence of helminths in the body of ( so did our ancestors).This fact is not completely confirmed by science, however, because the vital activity of parasites leads to the depletion of the body and, as a consequence, to vitamin B deficiency, which in turn is the primary cause of nervous system disorders.

But do not engage in self-treatment of the child and rush to the nearest pharmacy kiosk for preparations against worms.It is better for to visit the doctor and go through with the child all the necessary tests that confirm or disprove the presence of parasites in the body.

Adenoids.According to statistics, about 85% of children who have experienced a manifestation of bruxism, there is an increase in adenoids.The cause of tooth grinding in a child can become craniocerebral injury .The development of bruxism in a child is possible even with excessive use of chewing gum.

Diagnosis of bruxism in children

The presence of bruxism in children is determined by characteristic features.If the child begins to involuntarily clench the jaws or grind his teeth, this should cause concern in parents, since ignoring such symptoms can lead to more serious problems, which in the future will be very difficult to get rid of.

Therefore, the early diagnosis of bruxism in children, which makes it possible to identify the processes that are unusual for the child's body, is very important.Practice shows that the constant tension of the chewing muscles can be caused not only by increased anxiety and not finding an internal stress.

Manifestations of bruxism are also observed in periodontal disease, when the inflammation is accompanied by itching and the child, wishing to get rid of it, involuntarily begins to scratch the jaws one at a time while sleeping.

There are a lot of reasons for the appearance of dental rattling, so if you notice a similar condition in your child, should be contacted pediatrician and pediatric dentist for diagnosis, which is based on anamnesis.

specialist will inspect the external changes of : in case of neglected forms, inflammations of soft periodontal tissues, caries, abrasion of the enamel are possible.Polysomnography will help to reveal the pattern of involuntary contraction of the masticatory muscles, which can also be used to determine the presence( or absence) of the first phase of epilepsy, since it is also characterized by night gnashing of teeth.

Bruxism in children: treatment of

Before starting treatment of bruxism, it is necessary to diagnose and determine the exact cause of its appearance, as well as the duration of the course.The treatment is handled directly by the pediatric dentist , however, it is not necessary to shift all responsibility to him.

There are also several rules for parents, adherence to which, in conjunction with the treatment, will help the child get rid of dental scraping.

1. Parents must constantly ensure that the baby's jaws are in a relaxed state.If you notice that it is not, then be sure to tell the baby, maybe he just automatically involuntarily clenches his teeth.
2. The jaws of the toddler should not touch each other when the lips are closed.
3. It is necessary to try to protect the child from various stressful situations as much as possible.Talk to him more often, perhaps he feels an inner tension about a bad evaluation or an argument with friends.

Prevention of bruxism in children

If signs of bruxism are unstable and only appear from time to time, then it is worthwhile to take preventive measures to prevent further development of the disease.

• Try to change the mode of the day a bit and put the baby to bed a little earlier.Perhaps this will save the baby from the accumulated stress.
• Do not allow children to play mobile games before going to bed, but rather watch them with a cartoon( without a dynamic plot) or read a book.
• If the child does not swallow, chew or speak, his jaw must be in a relaxed state.
• You can try imposing soothing compresses: towel the water with warm water, in which pre-drip a little aromatic oil.This procedure will remove the jaw pain and help relieve muscle tension.
• You should not feed your baby before bedtime.Working at night the digestive system creates additional stress, which causes dental scraping.In extreme cases, you can give your baby a whole apple or carrots.

It is difficult to predict the appearance of bruxism in a child in advance, although the reasons for its occurrence are known.However, there is a risk group, which includes the children most affected by this disease.Conventionally, three such groups can be distinguished:

1. Children with malocclusion, joint diseases of the temporomandibular division and various pathologies of the face.
2. Children suffering from sleep disorders.To the appearance of dental scrotal can lead somnambulism, nightmares and snoring.
3. Children with unbalanced psyche, prone to aggression.These guys are forced to constantly suppress their emotions and feelings.

Deficiency of parental love and attention - that's what the child lacks in the modern constantly hurrying world.Be interested in the emotional state of your child and his children's problems, do not brush aside the baby, justifying yourself with a lack of time.

And then you and your child will be able to avoid many not only emotional, but also physical problems.And if you still encounter this situation, treatment should be performed immediately , in order to avoid the development of more serious diseases.