Parents can sometimes hear baby tooth grinding noises in another room of the house as their kids grind up a storm. The red soft tissues in the nose and mouth are sensitive to air and food allergens. These tissues swell after contacting allergens. The eustachian tube is located in the back of the nose just above the back of the mouth. This tube is lined with the same tissues in the nose and the eustachian tube easily swells shut when a child has been exposed to allergens.
The most common cause of baby tooth grinding is from nasal allergies.Two of the muscles that open the eustachian tube are also attached to the soft palate. When the soft palate tightens, the eustachian tube opens. The soft palate tightens when the teeth are closed together during swallowing and during tooth grinding. The children grinding teeth tightens the soft palate and opens the eustachian tube.
The child tooth grinding is not effective in opening the eustachian tube but the kid continues to grind in an attempt to solve this irritating problem. Unfortunately, in most children the allergenic swelling is dramatic. Because of a lack of drainage the fluids in the ear back up which causes a pressure builds up in the child's ear. The stagnant fluids also make ear infections common in these cases along with frequent throat infections, especially strep throat. Most pediatricians are conservative and dogmatic. They often think that kids should not have allergy care and don't refer to allergists very often. Instead, many pediatricians send kids to ear doctors who poke holes in the outside of the child's ears when the real problem comes from the inside!
The tooth grinding shortens the kid's face and dental white filling material can be added to the top of each baby tooth to help restore the missing height ground away by the child tooth grinding. It's an easy procedure that doesn't require anaesthesia and is often covered by dental insurance. The dentists at the Atlanta Dental Group PC are dedicated to their patients' good health and well being. You are welcome to join our family of patients. If you would like to schedule a free dental consultation with Atlanta Family Dentist, Dr. Mark Allan Padolsky, call 404-874-7428 to make your appointment.