Tooth grinding may occur for a variety of reasons. The literature lists the following as reasons why children grind their teeth: poor temporal mandibular joint formation or alignment, ear infection, gum infection, tooth disease, tooth eruption, sinus infection, pain elsewhere in the body, muscle weakness or increased muscle tone.

The muscle sling, which supports the alignment and movement of the lower jaw, is made up of muscles in the cheeks, tongue, soft palate and muscles on the side of the head. For the majority of the day the lower jaw is held in a position approximating closed (usually less than ¼ inch apart from the teeth of the upper jaw). To maintain this position, the muscles supporting the jaw must be strong enough to withstand the constant force of gravity pulling the jaw down. If muscles are weak, as it can be in the case of postural instability and low tone, jaw movement and alignment can be compromised. In some children we observe an open mouth posture where in others we hear tooth grinding.

Jaw stability is the key to functional movement and alignment of the lower jaw. The literature states that any intervention which provides an opportunity for active muscle contraction against resistance can result in increased strength for the muscles in the jaw, cheek, tongue and soft palate with a significant decrease in tooth grinding for many children with low muscle tone. For some children tooth grinding may still occur during times of physical stress, intense concentration or illness.

Ideas:

 See blog article on The Jaw.
 Chew foods of increased texture.
 Suck thick liquids through straws.
 Bite and pull activities (e.g. latex squeezy toys, rubber-like toys, liquorice sticks).
 Eat more crunchy foods (e.g. carrot sticks, toast, bread sticks, pretzels, raw vegetables, apples, cheerios, crisps, popcorn, bubble gum, dried fruit, gummy bears, raisins, skittles)
 Resistance exercises recommended by a TalkTools trained SLT (e.g. jaw blocks, chewy tubes, jaw exerciser).
 Also see http://www.txsha.org/Convention/pdf/Rosenfeld-Johnson,%20Sara-Jaw%20Stability.pdf

Reference:
Rina van der Walt (2007). NDT / Bobath Therapy Lecture Notes.
MORE Integrating the Mouth (Oetter, Richter & Frick, 1996). Oral Motor Grocery List by Suzanne Wilkinson.

©Marinet Janse van Vuren, DSC 2009

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