Risks | Materials of a bite splint

Risks

The plastics used in dentistry have evolved over time and are now much better tolerated than a few years ago. However, especially with hot and cold polymers, a residual monomer content remains in the finished prosthesis or bite splint, which can be released into the wearer’s organism over time and possibly cause incompatibilities. This varies from patient to patient and occurs in a few cases. The residual monomer content thus levels off between 0.4 and 4 %. This is also a work-related stress for the dental technician who permanently comes into contact with materials that are also not yet cured.

Summary

Bite splints are a good choice to treat the symptoms caused by bruxism and to protect the patient from major damage. However, this requires that the bite splint has good material properties, so that it can remain in the patient’s mouth for a long time and without damage. The dental technician has a number of possibilities to implement such a splint, whereby the method using thermoforming foil is the most commonly used. After subsequent grinding by the dentist, the bite splint made in this way is a good protection against night-time tooth abrasion.