SPLINT: flat plane & teeth contact - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

cvella · 04-20-2004, 02:49 PM

2 questions regarding splints:

Does anyone have a lower, flat-plane splint and if so, is it helpful? A flat plane splint is flat on the biting surface. My splint right now is kinda bumpy on the biting surface, I guess to fit the grooves of the upper teeth. I went to another dentist and had him check out my current splint. He suggested I get a flat plane splint, as it should help the muscles relax. He also said that right now my front teeth don't contact my splint, only the side and back teeth do. He said this could cause muscle spasms when I'm clenching because the pressure would not be uniform around the jaw.
Has anyone else heard this?
I appreciate your help! C

westin4 · 04-20-2004, 09:47 PM

geez c, it is hard to know if advice given to you would apply to another situation. I am in a flat plane splint right now, it is a kind of rubber like splint with mesh like melted into it. It has helped, but I am waiting for a permenant acrylic splint. See here is the conflict....my dentist says, and this may be for my case specifically, that I need the hard, acrylic splint with the bite grooves to get all of my pain and muscle spasms under control. He also has it so my front teeth do not touch at all. Actually I just looked at it and all of my teeth touch except for the 2 front ones. I have had an acrylic splint previously and all of my teeth sat on it, even the front ones. It had all the bite grooves on it and it kind of "locked" into place. It is hard to say which way is which and if it depends on the person and what advice is given to who. I get so confused with all the different opinions, I just hope that yours works for you and mine works for me. Keep us posted!
Karen

cvella · 04-21-2004, 01:12 PM

Thanks Karen! Mine is a hard acrylic splint also with the bite grooves on the surface. I'm seeing my TMJ specialist tomorrow and will ask about the front teeth not touching the surface of the splint. I'll let you know if I get any good answers, C

Michelle99 · 04-21-2004, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvella

2 questions regarding splints:

Does anyone have a lower, flat-plane splint and if so, is it helpful? A flat plane splint is flat on the biting surface. My splint right now is kinda bumpy on the biting surface, I guess to fit the grooves of the upper teeth. I went to another dentist and had him check out my current splint. He suggested I get a flat plane splint, as it should help the muscles relax. He also said that right now my front teeth don't contact my splint, only the side and back teeth do. He said this could cause muscle spasms when I'm clenching because the pressure would not be uniform around the jaw.
Has anyone else heard this?
I appreciate your help! C

I used a flat plane splint in the late 80s. I think at the time, the theory was that the teeth determined the position of the jaw, and if you covered the teeth with a flat splint, the jaw would eventually move to a better position. I had to wear the splint while eating, because the orthodontist said that if my teeth contacted while chewing, my jaw would never change position. I know now that part of theory isn't true. I went for adjustments once or twice a month so my teeth would maintain even contact with the splint. After about eight months I had substantial pain relief. I was supposed to get braces, but being a poor student, I couldn't afford them after the splint. Still, I had very little pain for several years following that splint.

Good luck.

klmarshall · 04-22-2004, 11:16 AM

I have had both a flat splint and a grooved splint. I found that with the flat splint, my jaw joint seemed to ache more than with the grooved splint. However, the grooved one would result in headaches and sore muscles, but less jaw joint pain. I found that I have to alternate them for the least pain, until I can speak with my surgeon tomorrow. It makes sense to me though, and I plan on discussing my theories with the Dr.
I had a hard flat splint (of the $600 range) made by a crappy TMJ doc, that my good TMJ doc had been grinding down so that my teeth would all hit at the same time...well, between him grinding it during visits and me grinding it at night, I wore through it and have to wear my old cheaper splints ($200) - the flat and the groovy. I also found that when I woke up in the AM my teeth hit evenly, but by the time I got to his office (1 hr away) my bite would be off, whether I ate or not. I also found I could stretch the jaw muscles on the tight side by placing a q-tip between the molars and manually closing the opposite side. Sometimes it was painful, sometimes not, but it always helped me in the end. This also is a good excuse to eat gummy bears (gummy bear in place of a q-tip)

. Anyway, different things work for different people. I will let everyone know what happens. I wish I had found this board when this all started, I would not have let the popping and grinding go so long if I had known the consequences. Have a great day! -Gabi