Inhaltsverzeichnis
Advanced disc and muscle disorders are identified in patients who experience jaw locking and/or noises, painful joints, and sometimes increasing pain with splint wear. Patients with acute trauma may require an anterior repositioning appliance for 7 to 10 days to keep the condyle away from the retrodiscal tissues, so inflammation can subside. These patients often have a long history of joint pain, locking, and instability. Stabilization splints are the treatment of choice, and must be balanced to accommodate the specific needs of the patient . Splints may need to be worn for 6 months to 2 years depending on the patient. These disorders are usually not reversible, but with treatment patients can experience amelioration of symptoms.
- Splints for your teeth can fix bite problems, align teeth, or even help whiten teeth by adding whitening products to them.
- As primary and permanent teeth may suffer repercussions from an injury, a therapist must be mindful of which situations the use of splinting methods is required.
- These appliances can decrease the frequency but not the intensity of the bruxing episodes.
- One of the most frequently-prescribed dental splints is the traditional flat-plane occlusal splint, which fits over the maxillary or mandibular arch.
- At Impress we work with removable and invisible mouth splints to align the teeth and treat bite problems.
A dental splint is generally permanent, however, in some cases the dentist may allow for a temporary dental splint. This includes cases where it’s possible to revert or stop the issues that caused the teeth to loosen in the first place. The splint is applied to the teeth and the patient wears it until the necessary treatment is complete.
Related Topics in Procedure
It can be applied later to reposition some of the teeth if necessary. Thermoplastic materials offer even greater patient comfort, capturing even deeper undercuts that offer more retention with less chance of breaking. Thermoplastic materials are created using liquid monomer and powder polymer that is cured under pressure and heat.
Bite and Body
Temporary Splints - The treatment period for dental splints is less than six months. At the end of 6 months, the dentist decides whether the teeth require permanent splinting or not. Stainless steel wires are also used in the inner portion of lower teeth. If the patient reports bruxism and headaches but no TMD, the use at night of a full-coverage splint, in which acrylic covers an entire arch of teeth, is often adequate to protect the teeth. Muscle relaxation is an added benefit that often relieves or eliminates tension headaches.
What is a dental splint used for?
Also, because of its small size, if it comes off during the night, there is danger that it could be swallowed or aspirated. This splint fits on the upper jaw and makes contact with only the six lower front teeth. Thus it keeps the back teeth from touching and prevents both clenching and grinding. It is generally worn only Invisalign at night because constant wear may allow the back teeth to shift. Dental-splint therapy can be utilized to treat multiple problems that include TMJ pain and severely worn dentition, often caused by bruxism.