Teeth grinding, or bruxism, is one of the most common things parents ask us about after a broken night's sleep. Most of the time it settles on its own. Sometimes it is a clue that your child is not breathing well overnight, and that is the part worth paying attention to.
How common is it?
Between one in five and one in three children grind their teeth, based on what parents report hearing at night. It peaks between about 6 and 12 years of age and becomes less common in the teenage years.
- 1 in 5 to 1 in 3Children who grind their teeth
- 6 to 12Age range where grinding peaks
- 3×More likely if a parent grinds
What causes it?
- Secondhand smokeOne of the strongest single links found.
- Breathing and sleepSnoring, mouth breathing, restless sleep, and too little sleep.
- Emotional factorsSeparation anxiety, emotional upset, and heavy screen use before bed.
- Family historyIf a parent grinds, a child is about three times more likely to grind.
What does not cause it
Grinding is driven by the brain during sleep. It is not caused by the way the teeth bite together, and it is not caused by teething.
Despite the common belief, it is also not a simple stress signal. A study of over 3,000 children measured stress hormone levels in hair and found no link with grinding.
Will it go away?
Most children improve if there is no easily identifiable cause such as mouth breathing or snoring. Being honest about the evidence, a study following nearly 2,000 children from 18 months to 6 years found that about one in three ground more, not less, through the preschool years. Around one in five adults also grind.
So most children grow out of it, but it is fair to keep an eye on it rather than assume it will simply stop.
Does it damage teeth or jaws?
Teeth
Worn baby teeth are very common in children who grind, but some wear on baby teeth is normal, and baby enamel is naturally thinner.
Worth watching instead
Acid damage from reflux or from frequent acidic drinks and snacks is a bigger cause of tooth wear in children than grinding, and it is more often missed.
Jaw joint
Some children have jaw discomfort or headaches. There is no evidence that grinding causes lasting joint damage in children.
Face and jaw growth
There is no evidence that grinding changes how a child's face or jaws grow. What genuinely can affect facial growth is long-term blocked breathing: persistent mouth breathing, large tonsils and adenoids, or sleep apnoea. So grinding is best thought of as a signal of a potential problem, not a force that reshapes the face.
When should you see someone?
See an ENT specialist if your child…
- Snores most nights or has pauses in breathing
- Breathes through the mouth
- Is restless overnight
- Has started wetting the bed again
- Is unusually tired, irritable or unfocused by day
See a dentist if there is…
- Tooth wear clearly getting worse, especially on adult teeth
- Chipped teeth or sensitivity
- Jaw pain or locking
- Headaches on waking
What actually helps?
Start here
The best-supported first step is simple and free. In the strongest trial in children so far, good sleep habits combined with a short nightly relaxation or guided-meditation audio reduced grinding by about 46% over five weeks.
In practice, that means:
- A consistent, calm bedtime with enough total sleep
- Screens off well before bed
- A dark, quiet room and a short wind-down
- A smoke-free home
What to do next
If the grinding comes alongside snoring or a blocked nose, that is the thread worth pulling first. You can read more about children's snoring and children's blocked nose.
Download this page as a PDF information sheet
Based on medical research retrieved from PubMed and position documents from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. General information only, not a substitute for advice about your own child.
