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Bruxism. That’s what it’s called. It’s the official name for teeth grinding, and Zane does it almost all the time. It absolutely drives me crazy, especially when I am trying to write or when I am driving. Zane’s pediatric dentist said it is quite common to see habitual teeth grinding in kids with special needs. Likely, it provides him with some sort of stimulation (via the sensation or noise) that does not prove irritating to him in any way. To save my nerves (and his teeth), I have offered him the use of a pacifier. This is something I absolutely discouraged with Justin. I did not want Justin to develop a reliance or oral fixation. And he didn’t. But with Zane, the pacifier is a means of making everyone happy. He enjoys munching on the pacifier, and I do not cringe as often at the sound of enamel on enamel. It’s a good compromise. Of course there are times, even with the pacifier, that he prefers to grind his teeth. I guess you can’t win them all.
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to tell you that Morgan grinds his teeth, too. Not all the time, but any amount of time is too much for my ears. His dentist has told me the same thing, that it is not uncommon. I have noticed that Morgan uses it as a way to tell me something. When he grinds his teeth he usually needs a diaper change or he wants to eat something. Not always, but these two things seem to often go hand in hand with the grinding.
Morgan's speech therapist once told me that it teeth grinding can also mean there is a need for pressure in the jaw. I sometimes will put pressure on the area in the back where the jaw hinge is and that gives Morgan some relief. One other thing, I don't know if it matters to you about age appropriateness, but instead of a pacifier I will use things like a chewy tube or those soft spoons for him to chew on. You can get chew tubes and p & q from the talk tools catalog or website. The o.t. also gave us just a piece of oxygen tubing to use once too.
Good luck with that!
Holly