Can children grind their teeth?

Maybe you heard it through the baby monitor, or you were checking on your child before bed and caught a scraping, crunching sound coming from a sleeping face. It is an unsettling noise, and plenty of parents lie awake wondering what is happening to those small teeth.

You are far from the only one hearing it. This guide walks you through what the research says about children who grind, why it happens, when it tends to stop, and the signs that mean it is time to book a dentist or doctor.

Key takeaways

Yes, children grind their teeth, and it is common. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry says grinding during sleep is most prevalent in childhood and decreases with age, with about one in four children having probable or possible sleep bruxism (AAPD, 2024). Most children grow out of it without lasting problems (KidsHealth, 2021).

• Grinding that comes with loud snoring, mouth breathing or pauses in breathing deserves a visit to your child's doctor.
• Worn, chipped or sensitive teeth, or jaw and face pain, are reasons to see the dentist.
• Treatment is often not needed, and a dentist usually suggests a night guard only when the teeth are damaged or the jaw is sore.

Is it normal for a child to grind their teeth at night?

It is very common, though nobody can give you an exact figure. An international review included 22 studies and took prevalence figures from the eight with the most reliable sampling, which reported rates from 3.5% to 40.6%, with grinding usually becoming less common as children got older and no difference between boys and girls (Manfredini et al., 2013). A Brazilian review of four studies found a similar spread of 5.9% to 49.6% and linked much of the variation to the different ways studies defined grinding (Machado et al., 2014).

In the first review, every usable study relied on parents' reports, and none measured grinding in a sleep lab (Manfredini et al., 2013). Parent reports depend on someone hearing the grinding, so the figures depend partly on how closely families listen at night. If you want the bigger picture across all ages, our article on how many people grind their teeth collects the figures.

Why does my child grind their teeth in their sleep?

Usually several things play a part rather than one clear cause. A Chinese meta-analysis of 18 studies found that children who ground their teeth were more likely to be boys and to have anxiety, emotional symptoms, loud snoring, restless sleep, a light on or noise in the bedroom, eight hours of sleep or less, and exposure to secondhand smoke (Guo et al., 2018). An umbrella review of earlier reviews named sleep duration and conditions, breathing changes and psychosocial factors as the ones reported most often (Scarpini et al., 2023). These are associations, which tell you where to look without proving what caused the grinding.

Nemours KidsHealth lists a few more everyday triggers, including teeth that do not line up well, pain from an earache or teething, and stress such as worry about a test or a change in routine (KidsHealth, 2021). The AAPD adds that emotional stress and other psychosocial factors predispose children over six to sleep bruxism (AAPD, 2024).

Snoring and breathing at night

Grinding and breathing problems during sleep often travel together. A review of 29 studies in children and teenagers found that most reported both conditions occurring in the same children, while none looked at which came first, and the authors rated the evidence as low (Orradre-Burusco et al., 2024). The AAPD likewise says sleep bruxism and breathing problems such as snoring and obstructive sleep apnea commonly occur together, while the link between them is still unclear (AAPD, 2024). The NHS also lists snoring and sleep apnea among the things linked to grinding (NHS, 2026). The adult side of this link is covered in Can sleep apnea cause teeth grinding?

ADHD and medication

Children and teenagers with a confirmed ADHD diagnosis had nearly three times the odds of grinding compared with those without it in a meta-analysis of 32 studies (Souto-Souza et al., 2020). Parents often ask whether the medication is to blame. In an Iranian study of 181 young people with ADHD, the group taking methylphenidate had the highest average grinding scores, yet the authors concluded that grinding tracked the severity of ADHD more than the type of medicine (Zohdi et al., 2026). The NHS names medicines for sleep problems, depression or anxiety as possible contributors (NHS, 2026). Never stop or change a prescription on your own; raise the grinding with whoever prescribes it.

When do kids stop grinding their teeth?

For most children grinding fades with age, although there is no fixed point when it stops. Nemours KidsHealth says most kids outgrow bruxism when they lose their baby teeth (KidsHealth, 2021), and Cleveland Clinic says children often outgrow it by adolescence (Cleveland Clinic, 2023). Studies that follow the same children over many years are scarce (Machado et al., 2014), so these are general patterns rather than a timetable.

Some children keep grinding for longer. The AAPD notes that oral habits such as grinding and clenching in childhood predicted the same habits 20 years later in one long-term study (AAPD, 2024), so persistent grinding into the teenage years is worth mentioning at dental checkups.

Can grinding damage baby teeth?

It can, although often it does no harm. Many times grinding goes unnoticed and causes no problems, and the sound bothers the rest of the family more than the child (KidsHealth, 2021). When it does cause trouble, the signs include worn enamel, chipped or sensitive teeth, headaches, and pain in the face, ears or jaw (KidsHealth, 2021). A Brazilian review of treatment studies also lists abnormal tooth wear, tension headaches, chewing muscle pain and tiredness as possible consequences in children (Senff et al., 2023).

Try it: a one-week sleep diary

When parents tell me their child grinds, I suggest listening closely for a week alongside booking a routine dental check. Your notes will make any appointment far more useful.

1. On five to seven evenings, look in about half an hour after your child falls asleep and again before you go to bed. Note whether you hear grinding and roughly how long it lasts.
2. Each time, listen to the breathing as well. Write down loud snoring, breathing through the mouth, or moments where the breath seems to stop. If you notice pauses in breathing, do not wait for the end of the week; book an appointment with your child's doctor, and call emergency services if your child struggles to breathe or turns blue.
3. Note whether a light is on, how noisy the room is, and whether your child tosses and turns a lot.
4. In the morning, ask casually whether their teeth, jaw, ears or head hurt, and note how alert they seem during the day.
5. In daylight, look at the front teeth. Very flat edges, chips or complaints about cold drinks are worth writing down.

By the end of the week you will know whether you are looking at grinding alone or at grinding plus a breathing or sleep problem. That difference decides whether you start with the dentist or the doctor.

What can parents do about teeth grinding?

Treatment is not always needed (NHS, 2026), so note what you hear rather than acting on it at night. Sleep habits are where you have the most influence. The NHS suggests a consistent bedtime, winding down before bed and a dark, quiet bedroom (NHS, 2026). Nemours suggests a relaxing routine such as a warm bath or shower, a few minutes of calm music or a book, and talking with your child about anything that is worrying them (KidsHealth, 2021).

Specific treatments have little evidence in children. A review of seven randomized trials found that splints did not improve grinding significantly more than control groups did, and the authors concluded the evidence is not enough for a treatment protocol (Senff et al., 2023). The umbrella review reached the same conclusion (Scarpini et al., 2023). The AAPD notes that jaw growth and erupting teeth make splints harder to use in children who still have a mix of baby and adult teeth (AAPD, 2024). So a night guard is usually kept for children whose teeth are getting damaged or whose face and jaw are sore (KidsHealth, 2021). Physiotherapy did not beat the control groups in those trials either, so I would not start jaw exercises with a young child on your own.

How JawBuddy helps

JawBuddy is a digital companion for guided jaw exercises and self-management. For your child, the dentist or doctor is the right place to start. If the week of listening made you realise that you clench or grind yourself, our page on teeth grinding is worth a read.

It does not replace emergency care or an individual diagnosis from a qualified healthcare professional, and that matters even more for your child.

When should you see a doctor or dentist?

Call emergency services now

Call emergency services (911 in the US, 999 in the UK) or go to the emergency room if:

• your child has trouble breathing (Cleveland Clinic, 2023)
• your child's skin, lips or nails turn pale, blue or gray (Cleveland Clinic, 2023)

Book a doctor's appointment soon

• Your child snores loudly, breathes through the mouth at night, has pauses in breathing, or wakes often (Cleveland Clinic, 2023).
• Your child seems unusually tired, has trouble focusing, is irritable or has morning headaches (Cleveland Clinic, 2023).
• Stress or anxiety seems to be behind the grinding and your child needs help with it (NHS, 2026).

See the dentist

• The teeth look worn, chipped or broken, or they are sensitive (NHS, 2026).
• Your child complains of pain in the jaw, face or ear (NHS, 2026).
• You are simply worried about the grinding (NHS, 2026).

You can listen without worrying

The sound from the bedroom is often much worse than what is happening to the teeth, and most children grind less as they grow. Keep a sleep diary this week and bring it to your child's next dental checkup. For background on jaw joint problems in adults, our TMJ disorder guide is the place to go next.