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Original poster

3 year old DD grinds her teeth in her sleep - any ideas?

8 replies

ShouldDoMoreExcercise · 14/05/2009 00:14

My 3 year old DD grinds her teeth in her sleep. I am not suprised, my Mums teeth are worn flat from doing it, and I wear a dentist recommended, custom made mouth guard at night to protect mine (have bitten through 4 or 5 to date!)

Are there any dentists out there to give some advice on what I can do to stop it? I am worried about her teeth, and it is truly appalling to listen to!

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Original poster
ShouldDoMoreExcercise · 14/05/2009 00:34

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isenhart7 · 14/05/2009 02:07

I'm not a dentist but you might want to look into a possible parasite (pinworm I think) connection.

SuperBunny · 14/05/2009 02:09

Oh, my 3 yr old does this too. It sounds awful. I know my sister does it too - she broke a tooth through years grinding them. I forgot to ask the dentist about it.

EachPeachPearMum · 14/05/2009 03:33

Mine does it too... or was the other night anyway....

sandcastles · 14/05/2009 03:42

It is quite common! My daughter does it to. I see that your dd is 3, so is probably getting her 3yr molars, or had them come through recently. Grinding can be a way for her to smooth the biting surface of these new teeth so they 'fit' into the bite better.

The dentist won't do much as there isn't alot they can do. She is too young for a mouth guard.

They do actually grow out of it.

And is YOUR mouth guard hard or soft? Because you shouldn't be able to bite through it, it is supposed to stop you grinding.

EachPeachPearMum · 14/05/2009 03:46

can it be linked to parasitic infestation?

DH grinds too btw, and has a shield

isenhart7 · 14/05/2009 03:58

Probably not-but I'd look into it anyway only because I have a friend whose children repeatedly got (confirmed) tapeworms. Gross!

Original poster
ShouldDoMoreExcercise · 14/05/2009 11:42

My mouth guard is now hard, I started with a soft one around 12 years ago when first started seeing DH, as he complained he couldn't sleep with the noise! The guards have got progressively harder as I bit through each one. I now have one that has an extra tough coating, I think you could hammer nails in with it if you felt so inclined!

Didn't even realise it could be linked to an outside cause like a parasite. Should I take her to the doctors or is that a dentist question?

DD has all her teeth now so I don't think it can be teething.

Thanks for all your help!

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