According to a 2005 study published in the "Journal of Dentistry for Children," 38 percent of children under the age of 17 grind their teeth. Children grind their teeth for a number of reasons, including teething or earache pain, anxiety, misaligned teeth and possibly even allergies. Babies grind their teeth too, often simply because they are not used to having teeth. Most of the time, teeth grinding is not harmful to babies, and they usually outgrow the habit. Because most teeth grinding happens at night, it is helpful for parents to establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
Step 1
Give the baby a relaxing warm bath before his usual bedtime. Allow the baby to stay in the bathtub as long as he likes.
Step 2
Dress the baby in cozy, comfortable pajamas.
Step 3
Bring the baby into a warm, quiet room.
Step 4
If you suspect that the baby is grinding her teeth because of teething or earache, give her a dose of infant acetaminophen or ibuprofen, according to your pediatrician's instructions.
Step 5
Rock the baby in a rocking chair to make him drowsy. Try gently rubbing the baby's back and singing to him as he is falling asleep.
Step 6
Place the drowsy baby in her crib so that she can fall asleep on his own.
Step 7
Try your best not to worry about your baby's tooth-grinding habit. Most likely he'll grow out of it soon, as he gets used to the feeling of having teeth in his mouth.
Tips and Warnings
- Although your baby's teeth grinding probably isn't harmful, you should mention it to your pediatric dentist.
Things You'll Need
- Comfortable baby pajamas
- Rocking chair
- Infant acetaminophen or ibuprofen
References
- Cheifetz et al., 2005 A.T. Cheifetz, S.K. Osganian and E.N. Allred et al., Prevalence of bruxism and associated correlates in children as reported by parents, Journal of Dentistry for Children 72 (2) (2005), pp. 67--73
- Babycenter.com: Teeth Grinding (bruxism)
