Guest guest Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Happy New Year Everyone! has been grinding his teeth for a while and I was wondering what has worked for other kids effected by this ? He has used chewy tubes (starting with the yellow one and now using the blue one) but will periodically spit it out (though they do help a bit) and grind sometimes even when eating. occasionally grinds in his sleep too. is extremely sensory defensive around the mouth- we use a manual tooth brush (school helps with toothbrushing too). It is only recently that is finally comfortable with this. We're very slowly working with an electric tooth brush (right now, is holding it in his hand to feel the vibration for a few seconds at a time- we started originally with putting the electric brush on the table in front of him, to get him used to the idea) . The OT recommended a "massage/vibrating bug" to massage the cheeks with. It's been a tough go- just a few seconds at a timeI'm guessing likes the sensory sensation that grinding provides, of course we're concerned about teeth enamel and the sound can be grating to listen to. He is feeling fine, so it doesn't appear to be a medical problem at the moment.The dentist is not too concerned and feels that will outgrow this. There is evidence of the back molars being effected. We hope to get x-rays for the first time to see what adult teeth are present.Thanks for reading and I greatly appreciate in advance any suggestions!Best,Mom to , 8 yrs. old DS-PDD/NOSNorthern New Jersey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Hi , Have you tried brushing? Aden was a horrid grinder, to the point that all of his baby teeth were worn down, but when we started brushing him the grinding decreased dramatically. Now he only grinds when he is sick or scared. Hugs Mom to Aden 8 DS ASD ADHD and Aren 5 ADHD Sent from my iPod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Hi ,My bet is that grinding is a stress related thing. Andy grinds when he has a cold or his allergies have kicked up...even now at age 22, we hear it cominig and we know he's out of sorts. So first things first: How are his ears? Throat? Allergies? Headache?If you don't know, one way to tell that is totally off the books, but common sense, if he has not had any meds to contradict using tyleonol, give him some tylenol and then check back in an hour to see if the grinding has lessened or is the same. but you do need to give it some time to work. Brushing - the therapy brushing that is done on the arms and legs and such can be useful. Andy finds it ery calming. You might also try other things that calm your son. Music, rocking, reading a story.....??It's hard. I know that when the need is met it will go away. Sometimes we let the DS overshadow the obvious thigns like headaches or fluid in the ear or.... so I always start with medical. FWIW,Joan Joan Guthrie Medlen, MEd, RD DownSyndromeNutrition.com twitter: @jmedlen Create Your Family's Vision of Health for 2012 Saturday, January 14 @10am PT  Hi , Have you tried brushing? Aden was a horrid grinder, to the point that all of his baby teeth were worn down, but when we started brushing him the grinding decreased dramatically. Now he only grinds when he is sick or scared. Hugs Mom to Aden 8 DS ASD ADHD and Aren 5 ADHD Sent from my iPod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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