Do you need to put on a dental splint? Everything you need to know

Years ago, dental splints stopped being used only for denture protection in certain sports such as boxing. Old images show these athletes inserting a flexible sheath into their upper jaw that protected their teeth, cushioning blows and reducing the impact of blows received from the opponent. Other sports disciplines have also included the use of this type of devices. Among others, karate, judo or basketball athletes (who doesn’t recognize the image of Stephen Curry biting his mouth guard before shooting his free throw shoot?) have incorporated it into their sports practice.

Currently, the use of dental splints has spread among the general population, and their use is especially recommended “in cases in which the patient has a tendency to wear down the teeth, which is bruxism, or when there are discomforts from dysfunction.” temporomandibular pain, which is pain in the area of ​​the masseter muscle and the ear,” explains the doctor Juan Carlos Pérez Varelapresident of the Spanish Society of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (SEdO).

The use of this type of orthopedics by users must be under the supervision of a dentistwho is the professional who must carry out the study and its measurement, as well as establish the frequency of appointments for follow-up, as required by each case. “It is essential that each splint be designed, planned and controlled for each patient, which is why we recommend always carrying out a prior study,” says Pérez Varela.

The first assessment includes taking photographs, x-rays and, if necessary, a Cone Beam Computerized Tomography (CBCT), as well as a small exhaustive study of all the clinical symptoms and all pertinent records to develop a completely muscle deprogramming splint. customized and adapted to the patient. Furthermore, the patient must attend periodic reviews so that the splint is controlled and adjusted by a dental health professional well trained in this field,” he adds.

During the follow-up carried out by the professional When using the splint, it must be taken into account “if the user’s mouth has undergone modifications such as fillings, crowns, tooth loss or replacement, which will cause the splint not to fit, so it will be necessary to modify it,” he points out. Marta Pérez Toricesdentist and vice president of the Spanish Association of Orthodontists (AESOR). This work of the expert also includes “assessing whether any important change has occurred that requires the renewal of the device,” he maintains.

Splinting cannot be done indiscriminately and without patient supervision. For this reason, at SEDO “we are in favor of people being monitored and controlled at all times, in an appropriate manner, by a health professional trained in the matter. This means that you must attend the orthodontist’s clinic with the guidelines that he or she sets out so that the splint is checked and adjusted periodically.

An opinion that coincides with that expressed by the vice president of AESOR, for whom the use of this type of devices, without carrying out any prior orthoprosthetic study, “is absolutely counterproductive and contraindicated.” Since, he continues, “as in any other medical pathology, it is essential to do a complete assessment of each patientin order to have the correct diagnosis, and know if treatment with a relief splint is necessary, and if so, what type of splint is indicated in each case. And he warns that splints that are not made, adapted and controlled by a dentist for each patient, “can generate a new pathology that did not exist.”

The use of this type of splints is daily to combat and improve the user’s ailment. Its use is done at night, so hygiene must also be done daily. “You have to brush it daily with brushes that exist on the market for oral appliances, with which we will be more effective as they have harder bristles to better remove traces of dirt. Likewise, we have descaling tablets or liquids, with which we will ensure that our splint is always clean,” declares Pérez Torices.

Years ago, dental splints stopped being used only for denture protection in certain sports such as boxing. Old images show these athletes inserting a flexible sheath into their upper jaw that protected their teeth, cushioning blows and reducing the impact of blows received from the opponent. Other sports disciplines have also included the use of this type of devices. Among others, karate, judo or basketball athletes (who doesn’t recognize the image of Stephen Curry biting his mouth guard before shooting his free throw shoot?) have incorporated it into their sports practice.