Teeth grinding: no reason to cry and gnash your teeth
A fairly common issue in paediatric practice: teeth grinding. In most cases, there is nothing serious behind it and the problem resolves itself after a while. And yet it is worth taking a closer look at the issue – especially as there is an updated guideline on the subject.
The basics: In medical terms, this is known as bruxism. Around half of all children are affected by it. One in two children experiences periods of teeth grinding up until puberty – mostly at night, but certainly during the day as well.
What lies behind the grinding, and where does it come from? On the one hand, it is thought that a certain amount of it – particularly in early childhood – is actually beneficial and even desirable, as it helps children to train and coordinate their chewing muscles. Otherwise, it is thought that stress, inner tension, emotional imbalance or even poor sleep can lead to teeth grinding.
Accordingly, the main approach to dealing with teeth grinding is to take it in your stride. Much like with nail-biting, you can try to help the child relax – perhaps by taking them on a little imaginary journey before they fall asleep, or by using an audiobook to promote muscle relaxation. In short: help the child wind down a bit.
If the teeth grinding is nevertheless very pronounced, it certainly can’t do any harm to have a dentist or orthodontist take a look at it. In rare cases, it may be appropriate to prescribe a night guard for the child for a short period.
In summary: it is usually a harmless, temporary phenomenon. And yet, of course, if this is an issue with your own child and you as parents are worried, simply speak to us at the practice.
If you’d like to read more, you can take a look at the current guidelines here (pp. 72–76): https://register.awmf.org/assets/guidelines/083-027l_S3_Diagnostik-Behandlung-Bruxismus_2026-05_1.pdf
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