How do jaw splints work

If you are tired of getting adjustments for your bite splint, it might be time to build up your teeth to hold your jaw in the proper position. Ceramic restorations are more robust and can do a better job of holding your jaw in place. Then you might just need a simple bite guard to protect against bruxism. Some people find that they are unhappy with the bite splint, also called a bite appliance. They love what it is doing for their jaw muscles and headaches, but the appliance itself is a nuisance.

Although some people can transition to wearing their bite splint only at night, others may have to wear their appliance all day, which can be inconvenient. Cleaning the bite splint is easy, but it is one more thing to do, and some people misplace their appliances often. Other times, you might have difficulty adapting to speaking with the appliance in.

Or maybe you just dislike wearing the appliance all the time. Whatever the reason, if you are happy with the bite position determined by the splint, but want to get rid of the splint, we can build up your teeth to replicate the effect of the splint. The placebo effect is a genuine medical principle, and it can sometimes achieve results that other medications and treatments can't.

It's possible this is how the bite splint works for many people. It could also be that there is a behavioral impact from wearing the bite splint: you do things differently when you have the splint in such as sleeping in a different position. This helps you avoid damaging behaviors that contribute to TMJ. In either case, the benefit of treatment is linked directly to the bite splint. Eliminating the bite splint in these situations could eliminate the benefit, even if we maintain the jaw position.

Therefore, this would be a case where it's best to keep using the splint. We can help you identify a comfortable, convenient treatment approach that is minimally invasive and reversible at first, only proceeding to other treatments at your request.

Meghan Hodges. Book Appointment. Proceeding with caution gives us the best odds of giving you optimal results from your TMJ treatment. A Long Diagnostic Period Everyone will be recommended to wear their bite splint for a certain amount of time.

Broken Bite Splint Bite splints are designed to be sturdy, but sometimes they do break. Night time grinding can be caused by stress and other factors and can lead to serious problems with your teeth and jaws.

A splint may be the solution to the issue. Information about your occlusal splint. How does a splint help? To restore the teeth you may need Crowns or Veneers Crowns and implants are protected from excessive forces which may chip or loosen them. Using the splint. At first you are likely to notice one or more of the following:. The splint may feel tight on your teeth ,especially front teeth, when you first insert it. When the splint is removed, your teeth may feel like they do not fit normally together.

Care and storage of splints. Ongoing use:. Call Now. They are typically made of clear plastic. They fit between and over the upper and lower teeth. Dental splints can help ease muscle tension and stabilize the jaw. They do this by preventing grinding and clenching of the jaw bruxism that might be causing muscle tension and pain. Splints are worn mostly at night, because people tend to clench or grind their teeth during sleep.

It may not be easy to get used to wearing and caring for your splint, but it is an important treatment that may last for 3 months or more. In cases of disc displacement and muscle spasm, you may be advised to wear a splint during the day and at night for about 2 weeks, and then only at night during times of stress and pain. This may allow a displaced disc to return to its normal position. Gabica MD - Family Medicine. Author: Healthwise Staff.