• Skip to content
  • Skip to navigation
Raising Children Network
  • Pregnancy
  • Newborns
  • Babies
  • Toddlers
  • Preschoolers
  • School age
  • Pre-teens
  • Teens
  • Grown-ups
  • Autism
  • Disability

About teeth-grinding or bruxism

Many children grind their teeth at some stage. Some children clench their jaws quite firmly. Others grind so hard that it makes a noise.

Children who grind their teeth at night won’t usually wake up because of the noise they’re making – but other people in the room might!

Teeth-grinding is also called bruxism.

In most cases, teeth-grinding doesn’t cause any damage to children’s teeth. Teeth-grinding might damage teeth in only a few very extreme cases, where the grinding is very regular and very strong.

When to seek help for teeth-grinding

If you’re worried about your child’s teeth-grinding, talk to a health professional, like your GP or dentist. Devices to protect teeth or prevent grinding can help. You can talk to your dentist about these.

If your child grinds their teeth and also snores loudly, breathes with their mouth open, or chokes or gasps while they’re asleep, it’s a good idea to see your GP. This can help you rule out issues like sleep apnoea.

Why children grind their teeth

Nobody knows for sure why children grind their teeth.

They might do it because:

  • their top and bottom teeth aren’t lined up
  • they have pain somewhere else in their bodies
  • they’re stressed.

Some children grind their teeth during the day because they enjoy the feeling.

In most cases, it’s likely to be just a childhood habit that children grow out of.

Supported By

  • Department of Social Services

Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

Member Organisations

  • Parenting Research Centre
  • The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute

Follow us on social media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
Join 60,000 subscribers who receive free parenting news. Sign up now
Aboriginal flag (c) WAM Clothing
Torres Strait Islands flag
At raisingchildren.net.au we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, gather and work. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
  • Privacy statement
  • Terms of use

© 2006-2023 Raising Children Network (Australia) Limited. All rights reserved.

Warning: This website and the information it contains is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified practitioner.

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation (HON) and complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information.