Many parents firmly believe in the saying "grinding your teeth at night will cause insects to crawl in your stomach"!
In fact, grinding teeth at night is not necessarily caused by worms crawling in the stomach, but crawling with worms in the stomach may cause digestive system disorders and cause teeth grinding at night.
You must know that a completely healthy baby can also grind his teeth! Maybe, as an adult, you (teammate) secretly grind your teeth every night when you sleep!
When I was in college, the sound of my roommate grinding his teeth once made me question my life. Every night in the dead of night, the crunching sound was both terrifying and disturbing!
But he didn’t feel anything at all. However, there are also people who grind their teeth and can wake themselves up. Today, let’s explain teeth grinding in detail!
What are the dangers of grinding teeth?
What should I do if my child grinds his teeth?
Because teeth grinding at night is performed while sleeping, it is an unconscious behavior, and some teeth grinding at night is quite powerful, up to 5 times that of usual eating.
Teeth grinding will not only affect the appearance of the teeth, but also damage the structure of the teeth.
Most of the teeth were worn away. In fact, tooth enamel was worn away!
Here, let's first look at the cross-section of the tooth. The tooth has three layers of hard tissue and one layer of soft tissue, namely enamel, dentin, cementum and gums.
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The outside of normal teeth is protected by hard enamel, so that the hot, cold, sour, and sweet foods will not directly irritate the dental pulp.
But if the enamel is smoothed, tooth sensitivity will harass us every day. We should not eat food that is too cold, too hot, sour and sweet. In severe cases, gum bleeding, inflammation, loose teeth or even loss may occur.
If you think this is it, you are too naive!
Picture source: Scientific Family Parenting original
Long-term teeth grinding at night can also cause a series of complications.
Picture source: Scientific Family Parenting original
① Night grinding
Night grinding is also divided into two types: vocal and silent grinding.
I often hear creaking sounds at night, which is audible grinding of teeth. Some people grind their teeth so that others cannot hear them, which is called silent grinding.
②Clenching type
The teeth do not move but they bite tightly and are in contact. There are action and reaction forces between the upper and lower teeth, and there are undercurrents. This is also molar! ( Friends who wake up every day and feel their cheeks are sore, please pay attention to )
There is a certain distance between normal teeth. If you don’t believe me, calm down and feel it. Is there a gap between the upper and lower teeth?
③ Mixed type: Night grinding + teeth clenching during the day
There are also some people who not only grind their teeth at night, but also clench their teeth during the day (called daily molaring), and the entire mouth is under tremendous pressure! If things go on like this, there will be a lot of harm.
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A friend wants to ask, what should I do if I grind my teeth? Don't worry, you still have to solve the problem based on the cause.
① No intervention is required
Teeth grinding is mostly found in children. Children to 13 years old are in the tooth replacement period.
In the tooth replacement stage, is to adapt to the grinding of the upper and lower teeth. Therefore, periodic teeth grinding may occur, which is normal.
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However, if children who have passed the tooth replacement period still grind their teeth, they need medical treatment!
② Improper diet before going to bed causes children to grind their teeth
For younger children, it is not recommended to eat foods that are not easy to digest, such as high-protein and fatty foods, nor eat too much otherwise they will not be able to digest them. It will stimulate the corresponding parts of the brain after sleeping.
Solution: Adjust the dinner time and try not to give the child anything to eat before going to bed.
In addition to eating before going to bed, excessive excitement of the nervous system during sleep caused by other factors will cause the brain to issue wrong instructions, causing the masticatory muscles to start "working overtime."
Solution: Don’t be too tired during the day, don’t be too excited before going to bed, and do more quiet pre-sleep activities such as listening to music and telling stories, so that the brain can calm down simultaneously.
③ Psychological factors
Children usually have a lot of pressure to study and have little leisure time to relax. Some children may suffer from sleep deprivation, mental stress, long-term depression and other negative mental stimulation due to family circumstances.
In addition, just entering kindergarten, moving, changing living environment and other changes can also cause the phenomenon of teeth grinding while sleeping.
Solution: Parents should guide their children in time, let them relax through chatting, listening to music, etc., understand their children's mental health, change their habits, and reduce their children's stress.
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④ Improper sleeping posture
Some studies have found that molar patients with severe wear on the upper and lower canines on the right side mostly sleep on the left side.
Patients with bruxism who have severe wear on the upper and lower canines on the left side usually sleep on the right side.
Patients who have severe wear on their front and back teeth mostly lie on their backs.
There are also those with severe symmetrical wear on the incisal ridges of the upper and lower anterior teeth, mostly in the prone position .
Solution:
. Adjust your sleeping position. Do not stay in a fixed sleeping position for a long time. Change your sleeping position in time to relax your muscles.
. Wear a jaw pad while sleeping.
Picture source: Scientific Family Parenting Original
. If you have sleep-related diseases, such as sleep apnea, they should be treated in time.
⑤ Clenching your teeth nervously during the day
Solution: Relieve muscle tension, keep the teeth relaxed during the day and reduce the activity of the occlusal muscles. Apply hot compress to the upper and lower jaw before going to bed to relieve the occlusal muscles.
⑥ Correct bad habits
Solution: Correct bad habits that affect the relationship between teeth and jaws, such as lateral chewing, finger sucking, and pencil biting, to avoid inducing tooth grinding.
Finally, the Department of Science and Technology reminds everyone that you must pay attention to regular teeth grinding, go to the dental department of a regular hospital to communicate with professional doctors in time, and choose a suitable plan for early treatment!
Welcome everyone to forward it to family and friends, let us protect dental health together!
