1. Address Underlying Stressors
Bruxism, the often unconscious clenching and grinding of teeth, can cause significant damage to children's teeth. Identify causes of stress in your child's life and do the best you can to help him manage or eliminate the stressors that cause it. Encourage him to take a warm bath or a relaxing shower before bed and engage in a soothing activity such as listening to music or reading a favorite book. If your child is unable to reduce his stress by himself and continues to grind his teeth, it's a good idea to consult with a counselor.
2. Consciously Try to Unclench the Jaw
Treat bruxism in children by teaching them to recognize it. Whether it's caused by stress, problems in teeth alignment or something unknown, children rarely are aware of tightening their jaw and grinding their teeth. When you hear the telltale grinding or notice your child's jaw muscles rolling, point it out to him. Ask him to gently massage the muscles at the hinge of his jaw with his index and middle fingers, using a circular motion and slight pressure. Teach him to deliberately loosen his jaw when he feels pressure, either muscular or emotional in nature. Ask him to open his mouth slowly and drop his chin to relive muscle tension. As he becomes more aware of the feeling and precipitators of bruxism, he'll get better at self-treating it.
3. Enlist Your Dentist's Help to Treat Damaged Teeth
Take your child to the dentist to check the extent of damage caused by bruxism. Ask whether sealants on his molars could help to prevent decay if bruxism is wearing down the enamel and abnormally flattening your child's biting surfaces. Ask, too, whether a consultation with an orthodontist might be beneficial in treating your child's bruxism. If the cause is related to an abnormal bite, jaw alignment issues or temporomandibular joint disorder, your child might benefit from braces or other orthodontic treatments. Your dentist may recommend that your child wear a plastic-mouth guard at night to minimize damage to his teeth. If so, talk to your dentist about creating a customized guard based on a mold of your child's teeth, as the over-the-counter guards are more likely to slip off in the night.
4. Patiently Await the Eruption of Permanent Teeth
Unfortunately, for some instances of bruxism, the best solution is to hurry up and wait. Young children, in particular, frequently grind their teeth because their baby teeth don't align correctly or the combination of adult teeth and baby teeth don't match well. Once you and your dentist have ruled out other causes, the only thing left to do is wait until your child has all of his adult teeth and hope for the best.
