Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders Using the DIR® Splint

What causes a temporomandibular joint disorder?

Several reasons can cause TMJ Disorders: 

• Teeth misalignment is often caused by dental fillings that are too high or too low, or by an ill-fitting crown or bridge. The body tries to counteract this misalignment with a negative chewing pattern, which causes additional stress on jaw bones and muscles and pain in different head or neck regions. 

• Bruxism refers to unconscious grinding and clenching of the teeth during stressful or tense situations, or during sleep. Usually, the teeth of the upper and lower jaws have contact for only a few minutes during chewing and swallowing. When a patient suffers from bruxism, this contact lasts for hours, leaving significant damage such as cracks in the enamel, wear of the teeth edges and occlusal surfaces, loose teeth, or total damage to fillings and dentures.

Repair or Replace Failing Dental Restorations

If your temporomandibular disorder has been caused by ill-fitting fillings, inlays, onlays, bridges, and full or partial crowns, we will repair the failing dental restorations or replace them completely. After treatment, the patient will chew again without discomfort.

Hidden TMJ Disorders Cause Pain

Pain often radiates to other body regions, so it is difficult to identify where it stems. As to temporomandibular disorders (TMD), pain often manifests itself in different ways beyond the jaw or teeth, for example, tension headaches, migraine-like attacks, or ringing or noises in the ears. In addition, nonspecific facial pain, chewing pain, or chronic tightness in the neck and shoulder may indicate a TMJ disorder.

Functional analysis 

In a first consultation, we reconstruct the patient’s medical history. Then we perform a clinical and instrumental functional analysis of the temporomandibular joint. It means that we examine the jaw thoroughly. In addition, we check the condition of the teeth, gums, mucosa of the oral cavity, tongue, and palate to determine the extent of the damage caused.

We perform a painless measurement in the oral cavity to determine the defective movements of the lower jaw and the applied chewing force. For this purpose, we use the computer-assisted DIR® System. We calculate the normal bite from the measurement data, which we record using a silicone impression. This impression is then used as the base for the DIR® splint therapy planning.

Bruxism therapy and bite correction with the DIR® splint

If you have bruxism (unconscious teeth grinding and clenching) or if bite correction is necessary, we fabricate an individualized bite splint. The DIR® splint, which you will wear for some time, is a splint that fits your mouth perfectly, is very comfortable, and does not interfere with speech. In addition, this splint places your lower jaw in the correct position and protects your teeth from excessive chewing pressure.

You will perceive that the splint therapy has been successful because the lower jaw moves without pain, the chewing muscles are relaxed, and the chewing pressure that was too high before is normalized. In addition, the DIR® splint corrects misaligned teeth and prevents the destruction of tooth enamel. Also, other afflictions disappear during a DIR® splint therapy, such as headaches, migraine attacks, ringing in the ears, or chronic tension in the neck.