You can start developing bad habits as soon as you are born— enter the torture chamber called “sleep training.” As your child starts to grow up and develop more, they may start to develop a broad range of habits you hope they’ll outgrow before prom: picking their nose, wetting their bed, playing in the toilet, and even grinding their teeth. If you have noticed that your little one is grinding their teeth, here are a few easy tips to help them get rid of this habit. Read on to learn more.
Stress Management
Take a look at when your child is grinding their teeth. Is it when they’re upset or in deep thought? Do they grind their teeth during a temper tantrum or when they are trying to figure out a puzzle? If so, their teeth grinding is likely being induced by stress. To help them get rid of their teeth grinding and stress, try teaching them a few alternative stress management tips like running around, taking deep breaths, taking a brief time-out to relax, or even playing with a stress ball.
Mouth Guard
If your child is like most adult teeth grinders, then they do all of their dirty work in the middle of the night while they are sleeping. Because you can’t wake your child up every time they are grinding their teeth during the night, consider coming into Centennial Dental Center and having them fit a custom mouth guard. The mouth guard will act as a barrier between their top and bottom rows of teeth.
Explanation
Explaining to your kid what teeth were grinding does isn’t necessarily going to make them stop, but it may make them a little scared. To explain this to them, try using a visual representation. For instance, grab an oreo cookie and split it in half. Then, rub two edges of the two cookies together until they start to form crumbs. Explain to your child that tooth grinding is similar to these cookies and that over time, you can wear them down until they are merely crumbs.
By teaching your kids stress management tips, having them wear a mouthguard, and explaining to them what it does to your teeth, you can help them keep their teeth in as good as shape as possible. To learn more, contact Centennial Dental Center today!
