# Why Your Child Keeps Grinding Their Teeth at Night (And What It Might Mean)

If you've ever been woken up by the sound of your child grinding their teeth, you know how alarming it is. The sound is surprisingly loud for such a small person — and the explanation you usually get doesn't feel satisfying.

"It's probably stress." "They'll grow out of it." "Make sure they wear a mouthguard."

Maybe. But there's another explanation most families never hear — and it has to do with how your child breathes.

## What Is Teeth Grinding, and Why Do Children Do It?

Bruxism — the clinical term for teeth grinding — affects an estimated 14–17% of children. It's most common between ages 3 and 6, and again during the early teenage years.

The most common explanations are psychological (stress, anxiety) or developmental (a phase). These are real factors. But for many children, especially those who also snore, breathe through their mouth at night, or sleep restlessly, there may be something else happening.

## The Airway Connection

Here's what the research has been showing for the past decade: a significant percentage of children who grind their teeth are doing so as an airway response.

When a child's airway is partially obstructed during sleep — whether from enlarged adenoids, nasal congestion, or a low tongue resting posture — the jaw begins to move forward. This forward jaw movement is your child's body trying to open the airway so they can keep breathing.

That movement? That's what creates the grinding.

It's not defiance. It's not anxiety. It's a physiological adaptation.

## The Tongue Posture Piece

Here's where myofunctional therapy comes in. The tongue is meant to rest fully on the roof of the mouth — palate up, tip behind the upper front teeth. When it does this, it naturally supports open nasal breathing and proper jaw development.

When the tongue rests low (on the floor of the mouth, or pressed forward against the teeth), the airway is subtly narrowed. The jaw has to compensate. At night, that compensation often looks like grinding.

This is why I ask about breathing patterns immediately when a parent mentions grinding. Because if we address the tongue posture and oral breathing habits during the day, the nighttime grinding frequently improves along with it.

## Signs to Watch For

If your child grinds their teeth, look for these co-occurring signs:

- Lips parted at rest (at the dinner table, while watching TV, while sleeping)
- Mouth breathing, especially at night
- Snoring or restless sleep
- Waking up tired despite a full night's sleep
- Teeth showing wear or sensitivity, or the dentist noting changes to the enamel
- Narrow palate or teeth crowding noted by a dentist or orthodontist

Any combination of these alongside grinding is worth discussing with a myofunctional therapist or an airway-aware dentist.

## What You Can Do

You don't need to wait for a diagnosis or for symptoms to worsen. There are things you can observe and document right now:

1. **Watch your child breathe while they sleep.** Are their lips closed? Do they snore? Does it look effortful?
2. **Notice their resting mouth posture during the day.** Is their mouth open or closed at rest?
3. **Ask at the next dental visit.** Specifically: "Could the grinding be related to breathing patterns or tongue posture?"
4. **Consider a myofunctional therapy evaluation.** We look at tongue resting posture, swallowing patterns, and breathing habits. A single consultation can tell you a lot.

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Teeth grinding is a symptom. The question is: a symptom of what?

If you're ready to dig deeper, I put together a free Parent's Guide to Myofunctional Therapy that walks through the signs, the causes, and what the path forward actually looks like. Download it free — the link is in my bio.