With the proliferation of social media and kids having to grow up faster these days, it’s never been harder to be a kid. Now, a recent study has revealed that children who grind their teeth may be being bullied. Apparently, teeth grinding is a sign that parents should be aware of and can help alert them to the fact that their child is being bullied.
Teens who are bullied are more likely to grind their teeth in their sleep. The study found they were almost 4 times more likely to suffer from sleep bruxism, or teeth grinding and grinding. This was compared to children who were not bullied. Bruxism is a mostly nocturnal sleep disorder in which sufferers grind or clench their teeth during sleep, and this can cause major oral problems.
The human jaw is capable of exerting a great deal of pressure,
Which over time can wear down teeth or cause them to crack and chip? People with bruxism often have mouth pain. It can spread to their face and even down their neck and shoulders. It is not unusual for people with bruxism to experience migraines. Without proper treatment, bruxism can cause irreparable damage to teeth and even jaws.
Associating bruxism with bullying may seem strange. In fact, bruxism is often related to stress, and bullying can have a significant impact on a child’s stress levels.
Your child does not need to be bullied into having bruxism
While it is possible that your child is grinding his teeth because he is being bullied, this is not always the case. Bruxism is actually quite common among children, especially children under the age of 11. In fact, it is so common that pediatric dentists can only treat the condition if it is causing severe tooth wear or pain, or if the child is having trouble sleeping.
It is a Para functional activity, which means it is outside of normal activity. Children are often susceptible to these types of habits, which are often unconscious. Other common childhood habits include nail biting, finger or thumb sucking, and cheek chewing. Once a child becomes aware of their habits, they can often be stopped or their behavior changed.
It’s a little more difficult when a child has bruxism because it happens during sleep.
When do children develop bruxism and what factors put them more at risk? In a healthy child, sleep bruxism can start as early as 1 year of age, shortly after the front teeth appear. At this age, it is possible that teeth grinding is due to the immaturity of the muscles that control chewing. Bruxism is thought to occur when sleep changes from deep REM to non-REM sleep. More than 80% of bruxism episodes in young adults have been found to occur during non-REM sleep, while only 5-10% occur during deep sleep.
In children, bruxism occurs more often in mouth breathers or snorers. It is thought that there may be a link between obstructive sleep apnea and bruxism. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which the airway becomes partially or completely blocked because the muscles at the back of the throat and tongue relax. This allows the tongue to fall back, blocking the airway.
Sleep apnea can be dangerous because sufferers often
wake up partially several times each night. This prevents restful sleep, which affects the growth and development of the child. There is also the possibility that bruxism is related to enlarged tonsils, which in turn can block the upper airways. Sometimes removing tonsils or adenoids in children has helped reduce Night Guards For Tooth Grinding. Another possible factor is asthma and infections affecting the respiratory system.
Prescription medications such as antidepressants and ADHD medications can potentially contribute to teeth grinding. The number of children being prescribed these drugs is increasing. Bruxism in older teens can sometimes be related to smoking and drinking alcohol, as well as the use of illegal drugs.
Treatment and prevention of bruxism
In many cases, children outgrow bruxism, and often a pediatric dentist may not recommend treatment. However, if there are signs of tooth wear or other signs that bruxism is causing potentially long-term damage to the health of those teeth, a dentist may recommend treatment. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if tooth wear is due to a current bruxism habit because teeth grinding habits can change over time.
Another possible factor in teeth grinding can be diet. As consumption of sugary soft drinks increased, it contributed to enamel erosion. In addition, fruit juices and sports drinks are often very high in sugar and can also be acidic. Your child’s pediatric dentist may recommend analyzing their diet to see if certain foods may be causing tooth wear. If this is likely, they can suggest ways to improve your child’s diet to help keep teeth.
