Digital joint splint

We use state-of-the-art protocols to restore joint function

Helps relieve pain

Treatment period — up to 6 months

An articular splint or splint — is a hard plastic mouth guard that covers the occlusal surface of the teeth and prevents the teeth from closing habitually. In this way, the jaw position and muscle function are reorganized into a new position that is more optimal for the temporomandibular joints.

In this article, we will discuss the digital splint planning method and its main advantages.

First, let's understand how a conventional joint splint is created.

Fabrication of a joint splint

The classic method of making a splint follows the following algorithm:

Collection of diagnostic data for the choice of treatment method: manual analysis, CT scans, MRI and dental impressions.
Search for a new jaw position using a deprogrammer. The patient wears a special mouth guard for some time, in which the muscles relax and the jaw takes a new position. In the new position, an occlusion register (occlusion plate) is made — an impression repeating the closing of teeth in the deprogrammer.
Plaster in the articulator. The doctor fixes the models of the patient's teeth into the articulator in accordance with the register of occlusion and facial arch data, and then makes a new occlusion device with which the patient takes CT and MRI images.
Manufacture of joint splints in the laboratory. The resulting bite mark and the patient's dental models are sent to the laboratory. There, in accordance with the technical specification, the tire is formed manually on models made of medical plastic.

Manufacturing of a digital joint splint

Functionally, a digital joint splint does not differ from the classic one and solves the same tasks: fixing the jaw in a new position. But at the stage of preparation, the doctor must necessarily do a digital scan of the dentition.

The planning process differs from the classical one and is carried out entirely in a virtual format. It can be divided into 4 main stages:

Uploading dental scans and CT scans to a 3D modeling program (we work at Exocad) and comparing them with each other in accordance with the current actual position.
Further, based on the results of CT and MRI, the doctor, together with the technician, determines the final position of the lower jaw. It is necessary that the articular heads are in the optimal position: they are not injured, and the articular spaces are wide enough for the normal position of the articular disc and the functioning of the joint).
On the digital model of the new jaw position, the technician simulates the mouthpiece itself in accordance with the doctor's terms of reference, where the dimensions, height and other nuances of the splint configuration are prescribed.
The resulting model is printed on a 3D printer or milled from medical plastic.

Digital Splint Treatment

When the joint splint is ready, the patient comes in for a fitting appointment. Initially, the splint is checked to ensure that it is securely fixed in the oral cavity. If problems arise at this stage: the splint balances or does not hold, it will be sent for reworking or remodeling.

Next, the teeth are checked for even contact and guidance, i.e. how the teeth close together on the splint and how the jaw moves. If necessary, a correction is made — the splint is shaped directly in the clinic. The entire appointment takes between 15 and 60 minutes.

The patient wears the splint 24 hours a day and comes in once every 1 to 4 weeks for 15 to 20 minutes for splint correction, contacts and joint monitoring.

Splint modeling

Finished digital model

Splint by digital model in the oral cavity

Advantages of digital splint

For the patient:

Comfortable diagnosis with dental scanning is faster and does not require conventional impressions to be taken.
A digital splint can be more accurate if a quality diagnosis has been made, the diagnosis is correct, and the technician knows how to work with digital scheduling.
If the splint is broken or lost, it is much easier and faster to make a new one again. The patient does not need to come to the clinic, as we have saved the 3D splint project. Milling or printing it out takes only a few hours. Restoration of a classic splint will require a visit to the clinic to take impressions again.
A milled or printed tire results in a thinner, sleeker, smoother and more usable tire.

For the doctor:

Simplification and acceleration of the planning phase. The physician is not physically dependent on the laboratory and, with all the data available, can plan the splint on a computer with the right software. If the technician plans the splint, the modeling can be coordinated remotely — it is not necessary to physically receive the device to assess its quality.
Cleaner manufacturing method — no need for gypsum and plastics, the vapors and suspended solids of which can be harmful to health.

The disadvantages of the splint are fairly conventional and relate not to the splint itself, but to the infrastructure of the clinics.

The cost of the planning stage may be higher
Lack of a technician who can work in 3D
Lack of scanning and CT equipment

At Konfidencia — digital splints — are the standard, so our patients will not face these inconveniences. You can get a complete diagnosis and a digital splint in one place without the additional markup of a scheduling method.

Doctor's opinion

Leading orthodontist

Petrova Elena Alexandrovna

Digital joint splint planning — is a modern method that allows the doctor to reduce the planning time of the device and get a more accurate result. And the patient gets a comfortable splint without having to take conventional casts several times.