Recently I saw an adult patient, who confided in me that she has been a nervous person all her life. The effects on her teeth were obvious as they showed signs of wear, as she would grind her teeth together during her nervous behavior.
“Why do I do this she asked”?
I asked her if she had any siblings.
“Yes, a younger brother and I am the oldest. My brother was born with learning disabilities and all my life he’s been the center of attention.”
Why was she so nervous?
As the Firstborn, she was the center of attention until her brother was born.
All the attention she craved was given to her disabled younger brother. She could not object as he had a medical condition and all she could do was feel the loss of attention and subconsciously grind her teeth.
“I never thought about that,” she said.
Then she followed it by saying: “Oh my God, the same thing is happening in my family. My youngest child has a medical problem and we have been giving him all the attention ignoring his older brother and sister.”
Problem identified. Problem solved.
When your birth order is changed due to a younger sibling ascending to a new position in the family, children don’t always handle these changes well.
In this case, the changes caused internalized stress which took the form of a lifelong teeth-grinding habit.
About the Author
I am Dr. Robert Hurst author of Life’s Fingerprint: How Birth Order Affects Your Path Throughout Life. I’m an Orthodontist and have been observing my patients for over 50 years seeing how their birth orders affected their lives.