Boynton & Boynton Family Dental Arts
A Wichita Kansas Dentist Office
Muscle Relaxation Splint Therapy
Muscle relation splint therapy is a very important part of Phase I TMJ Therapy. There are several goals in mind when utilizing splint therapy.
The splint is designed to allow the jaw joints to fully seat without the teeth interfering. The splint provides solid, even contacts of the teeth all the way around the arch at the proper joint position. This harmonizes the relationship of the joints to the bite. When the joints are able to seat and stay seated during complete closure to maximum, simultaneous contact of the teeth against the splint, then a harmony in the system is reestablished.
Muscle relaxation of the masticatory muscles is possible when there is harmony in the bite/joint system. When the bite relationship and the fully-seated joint positions are coordinated, the opening and closing muscles of the masticatory system are able to function in a more relaxed state. When there is incoordination between the bite and the joints, the muscles have to intervene to react to the discrepancy. This creates muscle hyperactivity and can eventually relate to muscle spasm and muscle tension headaches. We also know that inappropriate contacts of back teeth when moving the jaw from side to side, can create muscle hyperactivity. The splint is able to eliminate all noxious interferences of the teeth and relieve stress in the joint complex.
Our goal is that you experience significant improvement in your comfort level as a result of reestablishing a harmonious system.
Utilizing splint therapy also provides a diagnostic aid in evaluating the problem itself. Very often in disorders of this type there are many factors involved in the symptoms being experienced. Pain may be experienced from multiple sources such as muscle hyperactivity, inflammation, internal damage within the temporomandibular joint or pressure on neighboring nerves caused by clenching and bruxism. Splint therapy often helps isolate the problem through pain relief, thereby allowing treatment to be more focused.
In order for splint therapy to be maximally effective, it will be necessary for you to comply with a few guidelines. Because the goal of splint therapy is to recoordinate the properly positioned joints and bite relationship, the splint must be worn 24 hours a day. We recommend removing the splint only for brushing your teeth and at mealtime. It takes time for corrective changes to occur within the body. We typically expect to utilize splint therapy on a full-time basis anywhere between two to four months. It is sometimes necessary to utilize splints for longer periods of time in specific situations.
We will provide you a container in which to keep your splint when it is out of your mouth. We recommend cleaning the splint with your toothbrush and toothpaste on a daily basis. We also recommend utilizing denture cleansers (Efferdent, Polident) to help in the cleaning of the splint. You may want to occasionally soak your splint in mouthwash.
It is very important that the splint feel solid and comfortable in your mouth at all times. If you find that you are experiencing any discomfort with the splint in place, please let us know. If you find that your bite relationship does not feel solid and even on the splint at an time, please let us know and we will see you to adjust it.
Copyright © tyson steele dental marketing · all rights reserved
Dental Information Center
Click for more information on the dental care that's right for you
Kreg Boynton, DDS
Sheri Boynton, DDS
1901 Webb Rd
Wichita Kansas 67206
(316) 685-8881