Mystery solved?

My son's nightmares sent me to the Internet. Pretty much any problem, pain or dilemma does the same! I googled and googled yesterday children and nightmares. I read lots of common sense comments, ideas and suggestions. Look for psychological trauma, he hasn't had any. Limit caffeine, he doesn't get any! Maintain a consistent sleep schedule, check! One site said no food close to bed and another said give him a light carb snack before bed. It left me feeling helpless and frustrated. This morning I continued my search and I stumbled across a website called http://www.familymatters.tv/. In it the author discussed the pain of teething from infancy through adolescence and I found this:

"Sleeplessness and nightmares are also very common for a 5 year old getting his 6-year molars. If the child is waking on a regular basis with nightmares; sweating and clammy and has been craving eggs lately, Calcarea Carbonica might bring some relief."

The idea of teething contributing to his sleep problems never crossed my mind. I had actually googled nightmares and food allergies on a whim to see if maybe, just maybe, something that he is eating is causing pain that he hasn't been able to communicate. It was a long shot for sure.

I woke him this morning and told him to open his mouth and stuck my fingers in there to check the back of his gums. And what did I find? Huge eruptions. My son is getting his 6 year molars. I asked him if it hurt and he said yes but that he just grinds on them and presses down with his teeth...uh, ouch, baby that sounds like it would make it worse! So tonight we will try some old fashioned ibuprofren and hope those bad boys pop through quickly!

And on a side note, last night's nightmare was that he was a Smurf and got bit by the bug that turns them into crazy Smurfs, almost rabid, it is a truly bizarre episode but one he hasn't seen in MONTHS!