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Conference moira::parenting_v3

Title:	Parenting
Notice:	READ 1.27 BEFORE WRITING
Moderator:	CSC32::DUBOIS

Created:	Wed May 30 1990
Last Modified:	Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1364
Total number of notes:	23848

714.0. "How to stop baby grinding teeth ???" by LEDS::HUNT (Larry Hunt) Mon Feb 18 1991 16:43

    
    A friend's 13 mo. old baby has just found a new thing to do with those
    little chompers.  Let's grind them.  It makes lots of noise and
    annoys people.  She figures she gets attention this way.  Either she
    knows the sound bothers people and thinks that's funny or gets told
    to stop doing it, which only serves as attention, which to her is
    great so lets do it all the more.  Any suggestions as to how to stop
    her from doing this or is the best to ignore her and she'll eventually 
    stop on her own.   If this has been discussed in another note, please
    point me to it.   ...  Thanks.

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
714.1	ignore it!	CNTROL::STOLICNY		`Mon Feb 18 1991 16:47`	12
	I think most kids go through this grinding stage...its actually GOOD because they grind down some of the sharpness of new teeth before they start the biting stage!! :-) You hit the nail on the head when you noted that she does it all the more in response to the attention it gets her (be it positive or negative). We've found that ignoring undesirable behaviour is our best bet for shortening its duration. FWIW, cj/
714.2		SCAACT::RESENDE	Digital, thriving on chaos?	`Mon Feb 18 1991 22:27`	5
	Michael started grinding his teeth at, oh, maybe 10 months. We totally ignored it (except for mentioning it to each other), and he stopped within a month or so. Steve
714.3	mine did too	FSOA::EPARENTE		`Tue Feb 19 1991 12:26`	7
	my son also went through a stage of grinding his teeth - I can't remember now how old he was. I had forgotton about it until I read this note! It use to give me shivers up my back. I guess he eventually stopped because he doesn't do it anymore!!! I don't think it lasted that long either.
714.4	Asleep or awake?	NRADM::TRIPPL		`Thu Mar 07 1991 19:32`	7
	AJ used to grind his teeth in his sleep. Is this in the same category or does it mean the same as when adults do it. He still will do it occationally, should I mention it to the dentist? Lyn
714.5	Mention grinding to the Dentist	ROSMRY::MATTIA		`Fri Mar 08 1991 12:33`	14
	re: .4 Lyn, My 4 yr old son also grinds his teeth occasionally when sleeping. At his last dentist appt, I told the hygenist and she had the dentist check his teeth. There is no problem at this time. I guess they will just keep checking them when he visits the dentist twice a year. I would mention it to your dentist. I don't know what they would do for a youngster that grinds their teeth badly. I had a friend growing up that when her permanent teeth came in, she wore a guard of some sort to bed at night.
714.6	Clarification....	NRADM::TRIPPL		`Thu Mar 21 1991 15:33`	7
	I guess what I was trying to ask, is if children do it at this age, over 4, does it mean the same as when adults do it, i.e. Stress? Isn't it usually a stressed adult who grinds their teeth at night? So what I'm wondering is if AJ night time teeth grinding could be an indication of stress?
714.7	not stress.	WONDER::BAKER		`Fri Mar 22 1991 14:13`	5
	I'm almost certain that grinding of teeth does not indicate stress. My dentist told me that it is very normal to grind teeth when your bite is not perfect and that everyone does it to some degree. I think it is probably hereditary although I'm not sure. I know my mom and I both grind our teeth.