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Grinding teeth at night in an infant

01/13/2009 10:26AM

Question:

my child is 22 months and we took her off the pacifier 2 weeks ago. she is grinding her teeth at night a lot. when she wakes up she complains of her teeth hurting. there is no sign of damage to her teeth. we brush them everyday. can we do anything for her at home and is giving the pacifier back to her what we should do. will she just grow out of it?

Answer:

Grinding teeth (also called “bruxism”) is very common in children and rarely causes any long-term problems. There is no evidence that tooth grinding is associated with any other health problems. Most children do grow out of this habit so parents are advised to ignore it.

For more information:

Go to the Dental and Oral Health (Children) health topic.