A bite splint is a plastic splint individually made to fit the patient’s teeth. In dentistry, it is used as an important therapeutic aid to reduce existing complaints and incorrect loading in the area of the teeth, jaws and jaw joints. Synonymous to the term “bite splint“, the terms bite splint, night splint, bite splint or CMD splint are used.
Bite splints are mainly used to relieve the symptoms of teeth grinding (bruxism). Since this disease occurs mainly at night while sleeping, they are usually worn at this time. Due to the nocturnal teeth grinding, functional disorders of the temporomandibular joints, teeth and chewing muscles occur. These can spread to the whole body and cause various complaints and diseases.
Who needs a crunch splint?
The indications for a bite splint are manifold. Basically, they are intended to improve the interaction between the temporomandibular joints and the chewing muscles. The contact between the upper and lower teeth (occlusion) can be improved by means of splint therapy.
This reduces the grinding of teeth and prevents further damage to teeth, chewing muscles and jaw joints. The main area of application of the bite splint is in the therapy of teeth grinding. This is an unconscious, mostly nightly pressing and rubbing between the upper and lower teeth.
The causes are usually strong psychological and physical stress such as professional or private stress. The result is various damages to teeth (e.g. fractures or increased abrasion of teeth), jaw joints and chewing muscles (e.g. problems with eating as well as with jaw opening and jaw closure).
In addition to the treatment of teeth grinding, the bite splints are also used to compensate for malocclusions or disproportion between the upper and lower jaw. This is called craniomandibular dysfunction (CMD). With a predominant CMD, problems occur in the area of the temporomandibular joints and the masticatory musculature, which cause various diseases within the body. These include chronic headaches, tension in the neck and shoulder muscles, earaches, inflammation of the temporomandibular joint or tinnitus. The use of a grinding splint can be helpful in CMD treatment, as it reduces the symptoms and possible consequential damage of teeth grinding on the one hand, and on the other hand helps to correct malpositioned jaws.
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