Teeth Grinding In Children Bruxism What Can You Do

Teeth grinding in children is otherwise known as bruxism and happens when children clench their upper and lower teeth, rubbing them together. Commonly children grind their teeth whilst sleeping and are not aware of what they are doing.

What are the causes of bruxism in children?

It is not known for certain why some children start grinding their teeth and some children dont. There are many theories to suggest that it could be down to the fact that the sets of top and bottom teeth do not fit together comfortably due to the fact that childrens teeth and jaws grow in phases leading to unpleasant sensations in the area. The natural response of the child is to grind their teeth to soothe themselves which often later develops into a habit. It has also been shown that both children and adults grind their teeth when they feel anxious in some way, or even as a response to facial pain such as an earache or teething. It has also been shown that hyperactive children have developed bruxism.

More recent research has suggested that sleep disturbances may be a cause for bruxism in children as well as causing a number of other problems such as bed-wetting, drooling and sleep-talking. Interruptions in the rapid eye movement (REM) patterns due to dehydration during sleep can be the underlying cause of many of these problems, though your dentist will be able to advise you more on this matter.

What are the effects?

Children do not usually experience ill effects from grinding their teeth. Even when their milk teeth show wear it usually does not cause any pain or damage, yet if this wear gets severe, or if your child has already lost their milk teeth, then it is advisable to seek treatment from your dentist as dental problems such as tooth infections can occur. In most cases of teeth grinding in children they will usually outgrow the problem.

What can be done to help?

Whilst the problems will most likely go away you may want to try some methods to help the child stop grinding their teeth in the meantime. Your dentist would be the best source of advice, and will be able to make sure that there are no problems regarding the alignment of the childs teeth.

The most common remedy recommendation is usually a mouth guard. Wearing a mouth guard at night will prevent the child from grinding their teeth and night, and has a very high success rate in reducing the habit. However, your child may feel uncomfortable wearing a mouth guard and for this reason it is wise to look into other treatment options. In many cases hypnosis has been shown a successful way to get people of all ages out of the habit of grinding teeth.

In children whose grinding appears to be down to stress or anxiety it is extremely important to discover the underlying cause for these feelings. Try ways to relax your child before they go to sleep, such as a warm bath and a massage of the jaw. These methods will help to ensure that your child has a deep, relaxing and uninterrupted sleep.

The most important thing is that you neednt be alarmed by a childs grinding as it is extremely common. If your child already has their adult teeth then it is more of a worry, though there are many options available so seek advice from your dentist.

Sleep disorders treatment – Part 6

You’ve probably heard that you need eight to ten hours of sleep to function well. But for many, going to sleep is not just as easy as getting to bed. Sleep problems can have many causes. For example, decreased sleep is often an aspect of aging. Your brain chemistry changes as you get older. Levels of receptors in the brain that respond to sleep-associated hormones, like melatonin and Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH), decrease as you age. Some sleep disturbances can be caused by illness. Heart disease, respiratory problems, and restless legs syndrome (RLS) can be associated with insomnia. Mental illnesses like depression and Alzheimer’s also can be accompanied by sleep problems, as can neurological problems like Parkinson’s disease.

Not all sleep problems have a biological basis and when that’s the case, there are some habits you can change to improve your sleep. For example, keeping a regular sleep schedule is one habit you can control. Go to sleep and wake up at a regular time. Decrease daytime naps (though nothing’s wrong with an occasional power nap).

Do exercise. This may increase serotonin levels and generally will improve your health. But try to avoid exercising right before you go to bed. Try to minimize non-sleep related activities in bed. Don’t eat or watch television in bed. Although it’s a good idea to do gentle relaxing exercises in bed (e.g., being conscious of your breathing, meditating), don’t use bedtime as the time to try to figure out what went wrong with your day. Needless to say, try not to drink alcohol or caffeine before bedtime and even though it might relax you, avoid smoking before bedtime.

You also can ensure that your environment is conducive to sleep. Make sure the temperature is comfortable, that there’s not too much ambient light, and that it’s quiet. Dress for comfort as well. Loose clothing is best.

Sleep medications may seem like the easiest, quickest fix, but there’s reason to make these products a last resort. Sleeping pills do have side effects. These can include cognitive impairment or confusion, dizziness, dry mouth, and a cloudy feeling you may have a hard time shaking off during the day. Seniors or individuals who may be prone to cognitive illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease should be cautious about their use. Since a sleep problem can be caused by a medical condition or made worse by a mental illness, you should always consult with a physician if your sleep problem is prolonged.

Sleep Snoring Causes and Symptoms

Snoring sleep disorder is a disorder which about half of the world’s adult population has. Unfortunately your snoring sleep disorder won’t get better with age. Snoring can be no more than just a noise to a person that sleeps by them self’s, but if you snore and there is a person sleeping next to you, you can be a real nightmare to a bed mate.

Snoring is a big problem and can cause embarrassment between friends or the breakup of relationships. It can result in disturbed sleep which leads to poor concentration and low energy during the day. Some find the only way to get relief from this torture is to sleep in another room or if the noise is so unbearable another house!! Snoring can and does lead to divorce.

Snoring- Causes and Cures

If you sleep next to someone who snores, you know what it is like. Constantly being awakened in the middle of the night, shoving them over on their side only to waken again when they roll back. The snoring does not seem to bother the sleeper, but can bother their partner so much that there are several attacks a year on snoring sleepers by their sleep mates. Before you decide to hit your snoring partner with large, heavy objects, there are some medical reasons for snoring that you should know about.

Relaxed muscles in the throat caused by alcohol or over the counter sleep medication can cause snoring, large tonsils or adenoids can cause snoring as well. Obstructed nasal passages such as a stuffy nose can cause snoring, so if your snoring sleeper is sensitive during hay fever season, that could be the reason. If the snoring is very loud, raspy, and constant, there are medical doctors and sleep clinics specially designed to help with sleep disturbances, and surgery may be needed.

Symptoms

Snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea. We should keep in mind that not all episodes of snoring are indicative of sleep apnea or any other potentially life-threatening malady. Snorer with serious snoring problems must be aware of the symptoms obstructive sleep apnea and its risks. It is important to distinguish between serious and mild sleep apnea. The most common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea are loud snoring, constant tiredness, high blood pressure, headaches, dry mouth, depression, heartburn, recent weight gain, memory impairment, impaired concentration, mood disturbances, poor judgment, personality changes and sexual problems.

Way to Stop Snoring

Like many of adults you may be suffering from your spouse’s loud snoring. Many people complaint about their spouse snoring very loudly to the point where they lose sleep or are even forced to sleep in separate rooms.

Most common are women trying to find a way to stop a man from snoring loudly, but sometimes it can be the other way around, and it’s the woman that is snoring loud and keeping the man up night after night. Either way it doesn’t matter which spouse is snoring, it still brings the same problems and concerns to the relationship. Most people snore due to being overweight or having excess fat in their throat which causes the soft tissue in the throat to flap and cause snoring.

Eeth Rinding In Ids Auses Ffects And Reatment

When kids grind their teeth it is called bruxism. Bruxism usually happens during the night, when kids clench the lower and the upper teeth, while rubbing them. Usually kids do this when they’re sleeping so they don’t know they’re doing it.

Why do some kids have bruxism?

The causes of bruxism aren’t well known for now. Some kids will do the teeth grinding, others will not. A lot of people think that bruxism happens because in some cases the teeth of the kids don’t fit well together. That happens sometimes because the jaws and teeth don’t grow at the same time, but in phases. This provokes sensations that are unpleasant, so kids will do the teeth grinding, which makes them feel better. Sooner or later this will become a habit for the kid. Teeth grinding also appears when both adults and kids have some kind of pain at their teeth or ear, or when they are anxious. A lot of children that are hyperactive also get bruxism.

Recently, studies suggest that another reason why kids get bruxism is sleep disturbances. These sleep disturbances can also provoke drooling, bet wetting or sleep talking. Because REM patterns (rapid eye movement) are interrupted while you sleep if you’re dehydrated, this can signal a number of other issues, but your dentist can give you more advice about that.

What effects does bruxism have?

Usually, there are no problems for kids if they grind their teeth. It’s going to be fine even if their milk teeth appear, because there isn’t any damage or pain. If it happens a lot though, or if the kid loses their milk teeth, you should ask a doctor if everything is alright. In some cases, it’s possible for teeth infections to show up, so check with a doctor. Usually, kids will get over this problem in time, so don’t worry about it too much.

How can we help?

In most cases, bruxism will disappear on its own, but you probably should try to get him to stop grinding teeth anyway. You should ask a dentist for some tips, and he can check and see if there are any issues with his teeth, like a bad alignment.

Usually, the dentist will recommend a mouth guard for your kid. If the kid wears it while he sleeps, the teeth grinding wil be avoided. It is used often as a treatment and it usually works. You shouldn’t avoid other treatments just because this one is good. In plenty of cases kids don’t feel good wearing the mouth guard. Another good treatment was hypnosis, which works well on people, no matter how old they are.

If the cause of the teeth grinding is caused by anxiety or stress, you need to find out what causes these feelings. You can try relaxing the kid before sleeping, either with jaw massages or warm baths. These methods will help the kid sleep better, uninterrupted and relaxed.

What you need to take from this is that you shouldn’t be worried about teeth grinding in kids. It happens a lot, and it’s more of a problem if the kid already has his adult teeth. In that case, you should take him to a dentist, to see what’s causing it.