complete guide to
Guards.
A beautifully made nightguard that is both comfortable and strong is the key to preserving and protecting teeth of any age or make up. Nightguards are a protective layer between your teeth and provide you with several benefits. First off, they ‘guard’ or protect your teeth, whether natural or restored, by giving your teeth a slate to grind and clench upon rather than wearing down your teeth. Second, they can be made with TMD in mind and can be used to alleviate join pain. Lastly a nightguard simply acts as a retainer because when it is worn it holds your teeth in the same position every time.
Bruxism Guards
At their core they prevent further damage to ones teeth but with multiple materials and designs available they're not all the same.
Mandibular Advancement
With some minor tweaks and some added acrylic we can take the simple principles of a night guard and make an appliance that can relieve joint pain and/or open airways.
Anti-Snoring Devices
M.A.D.
Simple yet effective
Bruxism Guards
TRADITIONAL NIGHT GUARDS
Basic Guards
Commonly called a vacu-form or a suck down come in a variety of thicknesses from 1mm to 3mm.
We only use high grade Invisacryl from Great Lakes Orthodontics to thermal form all of our basic guards to ensure uniform thickness and high clarity.
Classic Guard
This is the most common night guard and is also known as a grind guard or a bruxism guard. These are a flat plane splint fabricated using an articulator with an opening space of 2mm. Clasping can be added as well depending on the patients needs and doctors preference.
We use Biocryl ICE methylmethacrylate from Great Lakes Ortho due to its known high quality and ultra-clear, non-yellowing properties.
Soft
Our Soft Guards are thermal formed using Keystone Mouthguard material in varying thicknesses from 1mm-3mm. Bleach & fluoride trays are made from 1mm material. Sports guards are typically 3mm thick and extend as far into the vestibule as the impression allows.
Gelb
The Gelb is a mandibular flat plane splint with acrylic only on the occlusal of the posterior. The two acrylic sections are held together by a stainless steel bar while retention is provided by ball clasps distal of each bicuspid.
hard/soft
Using a high quality polycarbonate & EVA combination from Scheu Dental we take the best elements from the Basic, Classic, & Soft to create a very durable, functional, and comfortable guard.
The nightguard with flex.
CLEARsplint is a specially formulated composite from Astron that is amine & mma free which makes it hypoallergenic and never yellows. When this material reaches body temperature it becomes mildly flexible, making it extra comfortable when it’s being worn consistently.
Mandibular Advancement
Mandibular advancement appliances can serve numerous purposes, from pain relief to increasing airways, and can be static or adjustable.
An orthotic is a simple splint used for TMJ Disorder and other pain.
Using a construction bite we articulate the models and start with a thermal formed base. Then an acrylic occlusal is added to provide incisal guidance, cuspid rise, and group posterior function.
Orthotic: The original repositioning splint.
M.A.D.
Mandibular Advancement Devices
With a set of models and a construction bite we can help change your patients sleep like day and night.
Dorsal
Fairly new to the appliance world but it’s simplicty has it making a name for it self. It uses ‘fins’ that attach to a mandibular 2mm that reach up to the maxillary cuspid area to protrude the mandible. The maxillary also has a 2mm for comfort and stability.
Removable Herbst
The Herbst appliance was created to promote jaw growth in adolescents but in a removable appliance it protrudes the mandible and is very effective snoring preventor. To make this we use a stainless steel framework inside maxillary and mandibular acrylic guards with Scheu adjustable arms.
hard/soft Non-Adjustable
We make a hard/soft for both arches and lute them together with acrylic. Although non-adjustable this variation can be highly effective.
*This can also be made using bases of 1mm’s or 1.5mm’s
hard/soft Variable
Starting with a hard/soft on both arches we then attach adjustable Herbst arms provided by Scheu Dental. These arms allow doctor to fine tune the patients protrusion and allows the patient some movement when the appliance is worn.