How do I get my 19 month old to stop grinding her teeth?

Question

It makes my husband and I cringe every time she does it, its driving us crazy. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

talk  to her    doctor    

Answer 2

Have her chew on those chew toys they have for children.

Answer 3

It is common, a side effect of teething called bruxism. My son does it a lot when he has new teeth coming in and then stops when the tooth comes in- your doctor doesn't need to be bothered with this, and you certainly don't need to be charged for the consult.

I stick my finger in his mouth and say no, stop. It stops him at the moment, but it is not too effective long term. He will stop by himself. If he doesn't by the time he is five, then there is a dental problem or even a stress issue. But until then stick your finger in his mouth to make it stop. To me, it is 10x worse than nails on a chalkboard ever could be, I totally get your cringes.

Answer 4

ignore it.  She is doing it because she is frustrated about something.  The more you tell her to stop the more she will do it.  I've had kids (at work) who grind their teeth.  The more I try to get them to stop, the more they would grind their teeth.  It's a horrible sound!  When I ignored it, the kids tended to quit quicker on their own.  

Good Luck.