Why Kids Grind Their Teeth at Night

Nighttime teeth grinding, also called bruxism, is fairly common in children. Many parents occasionally hear a squeak or crunch while their child sleeps, but frequent or loud grinding may indicate something more serious than a passing phase.

At our pediatric dental office in Fairfield, we look beyond the surface. Dr. Kevin Adair, DDS, and our team closely monitor how grinding may impact jaw growth, airway support, and overall sleep quality, while prioritizing your child’s comfort at every visit.

Why Do Kids Grind at Night? The Airway Connection

In many children, grinding occurs when the body is working extra hard to maintain comfortable breathing. When the airway feels narrow or unstable, the jaw may clench and grind to help position the tongue and jaw in a way that supports airflow.

This natural response can help in the short term, but over time, it may contribute to:

• Extra wear on baby teeth or permanent teeth
  
• Restless or disrupted sleep
  
• Strain on growing jaws and facial structures

Factors that can link grinding to airway-related concerns include:

• Mouth breathing and a low tongue posture that make it harder to maintain an open, stable airway
  
• Narrow dental arches and crowded teeth that limit tongue space
  
• Frequent night-time arousals, where the body briefly “wakes up” to adjust breathing

GV Smiles does not diagnose or treat medical sleep disorders. Instead, we focus on the dental and skeletal side of your child’s health and work closely with medical providers when a sleep-related condition is suspected.

Signs Your Child’s Grinding May Be Airway-Related

Occasional grinding is not always a cause for concern. It becomes more important to investigate when grinding appears alongside other sleep or behavior changes. Parents are often the first to notice patterns that suggest something deeper may be going on.

Common signs to watch for include:

• Snoring, noisy breathing, or frequent tossing and turning at night
  
• Open-mouth posture and consistently dry or chapped lips
  
• Dark circles under the eyes or slow, groggy mornings
  
• Daytime irritability, difficulty focusing, or “hyper” behavior
  
• A history of allergies, frequent congestion, or chronic colds

If several of these sound familiar, an airway-focused dental evaluation can help determine whether grinding may be connected to jaw growth and breathing mechanics. Your pediatrician or a sleep-medicine provider can then evaluate any medical concerns that arise.

How GV Smiles Evaluates Grinding and Airway Concerns

At GV Smiles, an evaluation for grinding goes far beyond checking for worn tooth surfaces. Dr. Adair and our team use an airway-focused, growth-conscious approach that blends dental findings with questions about sleep and behavior. Our goal is to understand the whole picture, not just one symptom.

During your child’s visit, you can expect:

• A relaxed, detailed conversation about sleep habits, snoring, grinding, and daytime behavior
  
• Growth and bite assessments to check jaw width, arch shape, tongue posture, and facial development
  
• A review of nasal breathing patterns and resting mouth posture
  
• Recommendations for imaging or referrals to ENT or sleep-medicine physicians when additional testing may be helpful

This whole-child perspective helps ensure that important clues are not missed and that any treatment plan supports both growth and comfort.

Supporting Healthy Growth and Breathing Mechanics

Because airway imbalance and jaw development often play a role in grinding, our care at GV Smiles focuses on supporting healthy breathing mechanics and more balanced growth. We emphasize gentle, preventive strategies that aim to reduce future problems rather than simply reacting to them.

Airway-Oriented Orthodontics and Growth Guidance

Guiding jaw development can create more space for the tongue and make it easier for a child to maintain nasal breathing habits. Unlike traditional methods that may pull teeth backward, airway-oriented orthodontics looks for space-creating, growth-friendly solutions.

When appropriate, treatment may include:

• Palatal or skeletal expansion to widen narrow upper arches
  
• Appliances that encourage more natural forward and outward jaw growth
  
• Early evaluations so that smaller interventions can help prevent more complex treatment later

These approaches are customized to your child’s age, growth stage, and unique needs.

Crozat Appliance: A Gentle Early Option

For some younger children, a Crozat appliance can be a helpful, low-force option for early expansion. This small, removable appliance uses light pressure to encourage natural arch development and support better tongue posture.

Families often appreciate that the Crozat:

• Is relatively comfortable and easy to clean
  
• Encourages gradual, natural changes in arch width
  
• Can fit into a child’s daily routine with minimal disruption

At GV Smiles, Dr. Adair recommends a Crozat appliance only when it is a good fit for your child’s growth and overall plan.

Myofunctional Therapy to Support Healthy Muscle Habits

Grinding that is linked to airway-related concerns often involves the tongue, lip, and cheek muscles not functioning in their ideal patterns. Myofunctional therapy uses fun, targeted exercises to help retrain these muscles.

A home-based myofunctional program, when recommended by an appropriate provider, may include:

• Daily exercises that encourage a tongue-up, palate-based resting posture
  
• Lip-seal practice to support nasal breathing
  
• Simple routines that parents can help supervise and track

GV Smiles does not provide myofunctional therapy directly. When it can strengthen orthodontic results, we may suggest working with trained myofunctional therapists as part of a collaborative care plan.

At-Home Tips While You Arrange Care

While scheduling an evaluation, simple home habits can support better sleep and provide your dental and medical teams with clearer information about what is happening at night. These steps do not replace professional care, but they can help.

Helpful tips include:

• Keeping a consistent bedtime routine with calm, screen-free time before bed
  
• Supporting nasal comfort with options like saline sprays or humidifiers if your child’s physician approves
  
• Tracking snoring, grinding sounds, and night-time awakenings in a two-week sleep log
  
• Avoiding over-the-counter night guards designed for adults, which are not shaped for growing mouths

Bringing your notes and observations to the appointment can make your child’s evaluation more precise and productive.

When to Consider a Medical Sleep Evaluation

Grinding that is loud, frequent, or accompanied by snoring and daytime fatigue may indicate more significant sleep-related concerns. In these situations, dental and orthodontic care is often just one part of the solution.

When appropriate, Dr. Adair may recommend:

• A visit with your pediatrician to discuss sleep and breathing symptoms
  
• Referral to an ear-nose-and-throat (ENT) physician for airway and tonsil/adenoid evaluation
  
• Referral to a sleep-medicine professional for further testing if a sleep-related breathing condition is suspected

This kind of collaboration helps ensure that both the medical and structural sides of your child’s breathing and sleep are addressed. GV Smiles focuses on jaw growth, dental arches, and oral posture, while medical providers diagnose and manage sleep and breathing disorders.

What to Expect During Treatment

Parents often begin to see positive changes once the underlying structural and functional issues are addressed. Improvements may include better sleep quality, calmer behavior, easier mornings, and less grinding over time.

A typical care journey may involve:

• Regular check-ins to monitor jaw growth, appliance fit, and comfort
  
• Progress tracking through updated photos, growth measurements, and sleep logs
  
• Ongoing guidance about healthy habits that support long-term stability

Because every child is unique, timelines and tools vary. Throughout the process, we focus on keeping treatment as child-friendly, comfortable, and predictable as possible.

Common Questions Parents Ask

Parent naturally have many questions when they first notice their child grinding at night. Here are brief answers you can use as a starting point.

How Can I Tell If My Child’s Grinding Is “Normal” or Needs Attention?

Occasional, light grinding that comes and goes may be normal. Loud, frequent grinding or grinding combined with snoring, restless sleep, or behavior changes is a sign to schedule an evaluation.

Will My Child Need Early Expansion or Braces Later On?

Not every child who grinds needs expansion or braces. We base those recommendations on jaw growth, arch width, crowding, and bite, then explain whether early guidance or simple monitoring makes the most sense.

How Long Does Myofunctional Therapy Typically Last If Recommended?

Myofunctional therapy typically lasts several months and involves brief daily exercises performed at home. The exact timeline depends on age, habits, and consistency, and is guided by the myofunctional therapist.

What Happens If My Child Struggles to Wear an Appliance Consistently?

Adjustment challenges are common and do not mean treatment has failed. We troubleshoot comfort, fit, and routines, and if needed, modify the plan to ensure it remains realistic and child-friendly.

Can Better Breathing and Sleep Really Improve Focus and Daytime Energy?

For many children, improved breathing and better quality sleep are linked to a more comfortable mood, increased attention, and increased daytime energy. Our role is to support jaw and airway-related structures while medical providers manage any diagnosed sleep or breathing conditions.

These questions help us tailor your child’s evaluation and plan to fit your goals and your child’s needs.