Materials of an occlusal splint

Synonyms

Grinding splint, relaxation splint

introduction

Many people suffer from these days Temporomandibular joint problems. What starts with a slight crack every now and then when yawning, can turn into pain with every movement over time, which complicates everyday life and requires a solution. The causes for this can be varied, mostly it is one Overload or permanent improper stress on the jointscaused by incorrectly fitting prosthetic dentures, incorrect posture, accidents or bruxism. A direct surgical intervention on the temporomandibular joint is only carried out if it can no longer be avoided. Alternative and less invasive agents are the first choice. One of the most commonly used methods is the so-called bite splint. This rather inconspicuous, made of plastic, should enable a healthy and optimal occlusion and avoid overloading the teeth through bruxism. But in times of increasing allergies, it is interesting to find out what material such a splint is made of and what risks it may pose.

Benefits of the rail

A lot of people suffer from bruxism, many don't notice it for a long time, because often it just happens while sleeping typical teeth grinding and strong Pressing together. The first effects only appear after a long period of time. Abrasions in the teeth, jaw pain, muscle tension, headaches and temporomandibular joint pain become noticeable. These symptoms should be counteracted at an early stage by a grinding splint and further improper stress prevented. The rails are mostly made of plastic and are made for either the upper or lower jaw, although they are mostly for the lower jaw. At night before going to sleep, it is placed on the teeth, sometimes it has to be worn during the day. This means that the teeth no longer have direct contact with one another at night and bruxing is prevented, so that the teeth, muscles and joints can recover. The force is diverted to the rail.

material

There are different materials that can be used for an occlusal splint. When choosing the right material, there are a few criteria to consider. So it should be with the patient do not cause allergies and easy to clean be. The wearing comfort should be as comfortable as possible, as it is unusual to wear such a splint in the mouth, so it is better the less it is tense and goes unnoticed. It should also last for a long time, not discolour and taste neutral, as this could irritate and unsettle the patient. It is also important for the manufacturing dental technician that the Splint comfortable for the patient is designed, there are no complaints and the production is as uncomplicated as possible, whereby no allergies are caused. Furthermore, he has to design the splint in such a way that it can be incorporated without problems at the appointment for installation, can be easily reworked if necessary and does not cause any damage. The following materials are available for selection after observing the requirements just mentioned: Hot and cold polymers, deep-drawing foils or light-curing plastics.

In the case of splints, which are made with the help of deep-drawing foils, one can speak of a rather simple bite splint, which prevents bruxism at night, but has no therapeutic value for severe temporomandibular joint problems. It is not possible to restore a functional bite. They are transparent and very light, which is why they are often used as grinding splints and have proven their worth there. You have to distinguish one from this rail Whitening tray, which consists of softer plastic and is available for another area of ​​application. An approx. 1mm thick PMMA film is pulled over the plaster model under vacuum. This is done by a special deep-drawing device. PMMA is short for Polymethyl methacrylate, also called Plexiglas, which is a transparent and thermoplastic plastic. The result is a blank that is cut out and ground by the dental technician until it fits the patient's jaw perfectly and without interference. Hot and cold polymers are also used for the manufacture of prostheses, but are rarely found in crunch splints because they have a high degree of shrinkage, usually smell and taste artificial and continue to release monomers into the body even after they have been inserted, which can cause allergies and is unhealthy. The residual monomer content of hot-curing polymers is lower than that of cold-curing polymers, but production takes a little longer. In both, two components are mixed together. MMA (liquid) and a PMMA (powder), which then enter into a chemical reaction with each other, leading to chain lengthening and crosslinking, before the reaction is terminated by an inhibitor at the end. In the case of hot-curing, the process is set in motion by the supply of heat; for cold-curing, a chemical additive (for example Dimethyl paratoluidine). At light-curing plastics is by the supply of light the Polymerization reaction triggered. Such plastics can contain camperquinone as a catalyst.

Often you can also choose whether you prefer one harder or a softer splint prefers. A softer one is often perceived as less annoying, but is used less as a bite splint because the material gives way more quickly. Especially when the splint is also used to treat TMJ problems, a hard splint is preferable to the soft one. After wearing it several times at night, you get used to the splint and use it after the Getting used to it no longer perceive as annoying. Especially when you notice that muscle tension is getting better and the symptoms that cause bruxism are disappearing, you feel even more comfortable wearing them.

Risks

The plastics used in dentistry have evolved over time and are now Much better tolerated than a few years ago. However, especially in the case of hot and cold polymerizates, a residual monomer content remains in the finished prosthesis or bite splint, which can be released to the wearer's organism over time and possibly cause incompatibilities, which, however, varies from patient to patient and in few cases Cases occurs. Of the Residual monomer content fluctuates between 0.4 and 4% a. This is also a work-related burden for the dental technician, who is constantly in contact with materials that have not yet hardened.

Summary

Occlusal splints are a good choice to prevent To treat symptoms that are caused by bruxism and to protect the patient from major harm. However, this requires a good material property for the grinding splint so that it long and harmless in the patient's mouth can linger. The dental technician has several options for implementing such a splint, with the deep-drawing film method being the most commonly used. After subsequent grinding in by the dentist, the bite splint made in this way is a good protection against tooth abrasion at night.