Your Kid's Nighttime Dental Pain – Why Does It Happen?
Posted on: 20 August 2015
All day, your kids run around and fill their days with laughter and play. So, why is it that as soon as your head hits your pillow and you snuggle into your warm bed you begin to hear cries of pain coming from your kid's room? "Mommy, Mommy, my tooth is hurting!" Yup, it never fails. Why is it that those toothaches seem to get worse through the night?
No Distractions
One good reason is the fact that your kids don't have any distractions at night. This causes them to pay more attention to the things that are causing them pain. Think about it this way – if you have a dripping faucet in your bathroom, you probably won't even notice the sound it makes during the day, but as soon as you go to bed and the house quiets, that sound drives you mad.
Increased Pressure
When your kid is lying in bed, the pressure in his or her sinuses increases. This can put extra pressure on areas of the mouth and make it seem like a toothache, but in reality, the problem is in the sinuses, not the tooth.
Shift of Blood
Lying in bed will cause the blood in the body to distribute differently. This can cause the tooth that was only slightly uncomfortable during the day to increase in pain and begin throbbing at night. Try giving your kid an extra pillow or two to keep his or her head elevated at night.
Tooth Grinding
It is quite possible that your kid is grinding his or her teeth at night. This can cause a lot of pain at night and a lot of damage to your kids' teeth. Wait until your kid is sleeping and slip into his or her room. Listen for the sound of grinding teeth for a few minutes. If your kid is grinding his or her teeth, the dentist may suggest the use of a mouth guard to put a stop to it before his or her teeth are damaged and become more painful.
As always, take your kid to the dentist to have a through exam. You may find that this pain is caused by a new tooth breaking through or a cavity that has reached the nerve. No matter what the cause, the dentist will surely be able to pinpoint the issue and find a solution that will allow you and your kid to sleep through the night.
For professional pediatric dentistry, contact an office such as Kids First Pediatric Dentistry.
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