Does a crunch splint help against snoring? | Bite splint for teeth

Does a crunch splint help against snoring?

A crunch splint cannot be used for therapy against snoring. For this purpose there are special splints in dentistry, which are called snoring splints or protrusion splints. These consist of two jointed, interconnected plastic splints, which push the lower jaw slightly forward (protrusion). This improves the respiratory flow and breathing and reduces snoring. This might also be of interest to you: Snoring – What to do?

What are the alternatives to the crunch splint?

In addition to or instead of splint therapy, alternative treatment methods can of course also be used. Since teeth grinding is often due to psychological and physical stress or chronic strain, various types of relaxation techniques can be used to alleviate the symptoms. Besides yoga, physiotherapeutic measures or meditation, specific psychotherapy can be helpful.

A relatively new treatment method is the use of Botox® injections. Here, the substance botulinum toxin (Botox) is injected into the chewing and jaw muscles. This leads to a partial paralysis or relaxation of these muscles, so that teeth grinding no longer occurs.

The disadvantages of the above-mentioned method, apart from the high costs (approx. 300 – 700 Euro per injection), are the temporary effectiveness of the substance, which is why a new injection therapy must be carried out after 5 – 6 months. Since the botulinum toxin is a nerve poison, too frequent administration should be avoided.

Side effects of the bite splint

Side effects usually occur very rarely when wearing the crunch splint. The plastics used for the splint production are all colorless, transparent and tasteless, which prevents allergic reactions. Pressure points may occur when wearing the splint. These are caused by changes in the shape of the jaw (e.g. bone loss with age) and the musculature (muscle regression).The dentist can remove these areas during a check-up appointment and thus restore the exact fit of the splint.

Bite splint in the upper or lower jaw

The splints can be worn both in the upper and lower jaw. They are mainly worn in the lower jaw, since only the lower jaw is anchored in the skull via the temporomandibular joint. By means of a splint therapy the lower jaw can be freed from its usual interlocking with the upper jaw.

This allows the lower jaw to take up a changed position in relation to the upper jaw, in which the chewing muscles and jaw joints are relaxed. This position is called the resting position or resting bite position.