Night Guards (Occlusal Splints, Bite Splint)
A night guard (occlusal splint) is a removable appliance covering all of the occlusal surfaces of the teeth in either maxillary or mandibular arches. It can help with the prevention of tooth surface loss as well as the management of mandibular malfunction.
A night guard (occlusal splint) is a removable appliance covering all of the occlusal surfaces of the teeth in either maxillary or mandibular arches. It should provide even simultaneous contacts on closure on the retruded axis with all opposing teeth and anterior guidance causing immediate disclusion of the posterior teeth and splint surface outside intercuspal position.
A night guard will disrupt the habitual path of closure into intercuspal position by separating the teeth and removing the guiding effect of the cuspal inclines. It causes an immediate and pronounced relaxation in the masticatory muscles, which will eventually result in the mandible repositioning and closing in the retruded position without interference from the teeth.
The hard acrylic night guard, hard & soft thermoformed night guard, and flexible night guard are available:
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- Hard & soft night guard
- Two layers make up the hard and soft night guard: a 1 mm soft, comfortable polyurethane inner layer and a 3 mm hard, durable copolyester outer layer.
- The soft internal surface rests comfortably against the teeth and gums, while the hard occlusal surface provides durability and bonds with acrylic for easy modification.
- Does not include latex, BPA, gluten, or monomer
- Two layers make up the hard and soft night guard: a 1 mm soft, comfortable polyurethane inner layer and a 3 mm hard, durable copolyester outer layer.
- Good Knight (Flexible night guard)
- Transparent and esthetic appearance
- Abrasion and stain resistant
- Flexibility for improved patient comfort
- CAD design feature for more comfortable fit
- Transparent and esthetic appearance
- Hard & soft night guard
Validations
An occlusal splint can be used to test a therapeutic position before any definitive occlusal change, like a modification of vertical dimension or the creation of a mandibular anteposition. An occlusal splint can be used for protecting teeth or prosthetic restorations against sleep pressures. But an occlusal splint is mainly used for therapeutic means. Its principle use is to prevent the patient from finding his usual occlusion of maximal intercuspal position (ICP) and to oblige him to place his mandible in a new posture, thus, resulting in a new muscular and articular balance. The patient, disturbed in his habits, will not tighten his teeth any more, like before. He will change his clenching habits and then he will not tighten any more, he will protect his teeth and his temporomandibular joint. Thus, Ekberg validated the effect of the flat-smooth occlusal splint on muscular conditioning, resulting in the resolution of muscular contractions, in a randomized and controlled study on 60 patients. In contrast, Greene and Laskin affirmed, as early as in 1972, the importance of neurophysiological feelings and psychology in the development of the TMD and the therapy that comes from taking care of the patient. The uselessness of the occlusal splint could be deduced from this or, at least, the need for it to be discussed. One argument against this imposes itself immediately as the use of the occlusal splint means treatment that reinforces the psychological effect of “care management”.
(Re et al., The occlusal splint therapy, J. Stomat. Occ. Med. (2009) 2: 1–5)