Dyspraxia and tooth grinding

[SummerRain]

Hi all, posted this here as I'm hoping someone else might have experienced similar and have some advice.

ds1 is suspected to be dyspraxic, assessment pending. He can be very orally fixated and has repeatedly chewed his lips to shreds and has been grinding his front teeth for a while now. He's worn them down quite badly though and the enamel is completely gone from the two front top teeth and he's exposed the dentin. The teeth are noticeably shortened and he's complaining of pain.

He's been referred to the paediatric dentist but I have an inkling there's not much they can do if he's still grinding them.

Does anyone know of any way to dissuade him from grinding? Pain doesn't seem to deter him as he chews his lips until they're bloody and raw and he's still grinding the teeth despite the pain.

Just a thought, but you know the mouth guards that sports people wear, can the dentist not recommend a tooth guard that you could try?
My DS went through a stage of grinding, but constant nagging pretty much stopped it - except sometimes at night. He graduated onto his fingers and nails. Tempted to dip them in chilli powder to 'warn' him off keep doing it!

The funny thing is i never catch him doing it at night. He shares a bedroom with his little brother so there's a monitor and i go in and out a few times a night and have never heard him doing it, he seems to do it during the days so hopefully nagging will help.

I told him to chew on a toy instead of grinding in a fit of frustration the other day

I had assumed he'd get a mouth gaurd of some kind but reading up online it seems unlikely, dentists aparently don't do much for kids who grind their teeth

Worth ringing your Dentist though and seeing what they recommend. You might get one that has a few tricks - hopefully not chilli powder (got that one off a friend who wanted a dummy to be taken away! - and people say i'm evil!)
Would OT have anything?

Have't seen OT yet... got the referral in October but were warned waiting lists are fairly long.

Chilli powder seems a bit OTT for a dummy doesn't it?! Although I'm at the overly ralaxed end of the scale when it comes to dummies... I have enough daily fights to be getting on with s just let mine have them until they were 3

I'll pop into the dentists when i'm next around town and ask. Hopefully the paed dentist referal won't take as long as some of the other referrals we're waiting on...

I'm a bit excited myself. Asked for another assessment with both OT and Physio in September last year. I have followed up, but no-one knows anything, then on yesterdays follow up - he's due for the next batch of appt.s in March. So don't give up hope - it will happen!
Having said i have waited forever for an ENT appt. for DS3(nearly 2 years!) and been told that DS1 - who was diagnosed by the gastroenterologist as CMP, fructose and sucrose intolerant, that he will not qualify for an appt. with a dietician because he is too healthy. Did our parents go through all this waiting malarkey? Or is it - as i suspect, a relatively new phenomena - fuelled by the fact that we have a far greater knowledge of our rights?

Funny, ENT is in the running to be our longest ever wait too. ds2 was referred for a surgical consult last May and we haven't heard a pip since.

The longest was dd'ss paeds referral to be assessed for coeliacs (which she hasn't got thankfully, just lots of food issues which she's slowly growing out of). We were bumped up the list twice thanks to the dietitian and HV harassing them and still had to wait almost a year.

My parents never went through any of this.... I'm almost certainly dyspraxic myself and neither parents nor school ever queried my behaviour. And even if anyone had suggested there was something wrong with me my mother would probably have ignored them, my doctor when i was three tried to put me on an inhaler and she told him to bog off

Great news about the appointments in March, hope all goes well at them for you.... we've got a heap coming up too (right in time for my OU coursework to start loading up too!)

Appointments are just like buses - always in groups. Lets hope they don't start to cut any routes!