Three year old gritting his teeth

[abelenkpe]

My son has been grinding his teeth and I'm worried. Is this bad for his little teeth? Is it a sign that he is anxious? Or does he just like the sound effect? Anyone have experience with this? Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

[Dora]

1. My son outgrew it.

My son isn't three quite yet, but he will be soon. He went through a tooth grinding phase this year as his molars were coming in. The more attention we paid to it "don't do that, it's bad for your teeth," the more he did it. When we finally began ignoring it, he stopped.

[abelenkpe]

4. OK

We'll give that a go. Connor does love getting our attention and we should learn how to only reinforce behavior that is positive so this may be a good learning opportunity for my husband and myself. Thanks for the advice!

[MorningGlow]

2. Mine too, but in his sleep

MG Jr. just turned 4, and he's been grinding his teeth for several months, but just in his sleep. His pediatrician said he should be visiting a dentist by now (just as a general recommendation--I didn't mention the teeth grinding to her at his checkup)--perhaps when I get him to one I'll ask. I'm not so very worried about it, as he doesn't do it constantly (but the sound does drive me up the wall! :P ).

[abelenkpe]

3. O the sound!

It gives me shivers up my spine. Now my 15 month old daughter, who only has three half teeth as they only just started coming in, has started gritting her little teeth to emulate her brother. I guess a visit to the dentist is in order. Thanks for the info!