Is teeth grinding genetic; does your baby do it?

Question

Both of my boys do (while sleeping).

I do it too, as does my dad. Both of our dentist have recommended a night guard to prevent future damage. I'm thinking there must be some type of genetic link but was just curious what others thought or if anyone else has been through this w/ their baby. Thanks!

Answer 1

I grind my teeth when I am sleeping. When my daughter got her first 4 teeth she started doing it a little. I never thought of it as being genetic, but it may be.

When my mom gets home I will ask her and see if I can answer your question more (My mom works at a dentist).

EDIT: Ok, so I asked my mom and teeth grinding is NOT genetic.

Answer 2

I havent really heard of my son doing it. He just sucks his bottem lip sometimes.

No one knows for certain why some children grind their teeth. Some think that it is because the child's top and bottom teeth do not fit together comfortably. This discomfort causes the child to grind his teeth to make the teeth feel better and this later turns into a bad habit. Others believe that children grind their teeth because they feel tense, fearful, or angry. Still others suggest that children could have an allergy or a nutritional problem. All of these ideas are not consistently supported by research.

If you or your child's health care provider sees wear on the tooth surface, it is important to make a special visit to a paediatric dentist. Dentists can polish the teeth to make them fit together more comfortably or make special devices for the mouth that are usually worn at night to keep your child from wearing away the teeth.

Even though it has not been scientifically proven, it is a good idea to help a child talk about what has caused tension, fear, or anger before going to bed. Do this in the course of the bedtime routine. For example, when your child is telling you about his day, ask some questions about how those events made him feel. While this may or may not help the child with tooth grinding, it does let him know that you care about how he feels. It is probably best not to draw attention to the tooth grinding itself.

Most children will stop tooth grinding on their own without the need for special treatments. Mention tooth grinding to your child's dentist at your child's next regular appointment.

http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/HealthAZ/T...

To my knowledge, teeth grinding is not genetic. some kids just do it

Answer 3

Maybe it is. I grind my teeth at night. (Not as bad as when i was younger) my son grinds his teeth too. I've never noticed it while he sleeps but he does it throughout the day.

Answer 4

I think so. My paternal grandma did it, my dad, myself, and both my boys do. We tried a mouth guard but the boys take them out in their sleep, They both sleep walk and the rest of us did as children. I think it is all genetic

Answer 5

I think is genetic because my dad and grandfather did it as well as I did when i was a child.... We stopped doing it by ourselves when we were about 10 years old..

Answer 6

My husband does it and my 5 yr old does as well, so you may be on to something.  My husband says he notices it more when he is stress about something, my daughter does not know what stress is so that doesn't cue us to anything, but her dentist says that she can tell that my daughter does grind them.

Answer 7

my brother does it so bad his teeth keep getting smaller and he forgets to wear his mouth guard. i do it when i am in a really deep sleep. my father does it in a deep sleep but not bad. my daughter is ten months and just started doing it when she got her top 2 teeth. so i think it is.  

Answer 8

There is a difference between a baby grinding their teeth and an adult or older child.

Lots of babies grind their teeth and its often related to teething.  However it rarely continues once the adult teeth are in and rarely causes damage.  Also babies and toddlers tend to grind their front teeth not their molars.  Babies and toddlers rarely grind hard enough to do damage.

http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&a...

Like sucking on pacifiers and thumbs, grinding the teeth (called bruxism) is a common habit that usually disappears on its own as young children grow. The two peak periods of bruxism are as the baby teeth arrive in very young children and again at 5 or 6 as the permanent teeth begin to come in. Grinding could slowly damage the enamel of the teeth, but the baby teeth do not remain in place long enough for that to be a concern. The habit usually stops long before permanent damage to the adult teeth occurs. In the short run nothing needs to be done, but anything relaxing before bed might help (a warm bath, a backrub, some soothing music, some chamomile tea). If the bruxism continues, your dentist might provide a temporary appliance to break the habit of nighttime grinding.

http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/az40.asp

In general, grinding the baby teeth is not a problem. It is often a sign of teething, very likely for a 12 month old. When he starts losing his baby teeth, the grinding should stop (if it even lasts that long). If he is grinding his adult teeth, then that is a different story, and a dentist should be consulted to look for damage. He might suggest that a tooth guard be worn while sleeping.