ne in every five Germans grinds their teeth in their sleep. Dentalsplints can help reduce the damage this can cause to the teeth.Others need correction to their bite or temporary treatments.As a result, the range of applications for splint technology is

huge. Ulrich Heker, a Master Dental Technician in Essen, Germany,produces a variety of different splints for different solutions.

It is thought that twenty percent of people in Germany grind their teeth atnight. That would mean there are 16 million 'teethgrinders' in Germanyalone. As a result, these people suffer from headaches, neck pain,erosion, abrasions, fractured enamel and inflammation. Quite oftenproblems also arise with the jaw/temporomandibular joint. Inapproximately 15 per cent of cases, the grinding can cause more seriousmedical conditions requiring treatment. This affects women between theages of 30 and 45 in particular, possibly because they have stressfulprofessional and family lives. In a recent article, Stern, a popular Germanmagazine, aptly described this grinding of teeth: „At night, whilst you'resleeping, your worries wander from head to jaw“, and called those whogradually grind away their tooth enamel as “Dream biters“("Traumbeißer"). The extreme pressure can cause fracturing of the neckof the tooth, which again could lead to oversensitive teeth. In the worstcase, the teeth might even break.

Master Dental Technician, Ulrich Heker,

has run his own dental laboratory in

Essen since 1996. Early on he was

interested in Studio photography and

computing. In 2007 he set up his English

language website, Teeth'R'Us, aimed at

dentists and patients in Britain. Visit:

www.german-smile.info

(see Figures 2 & 3) as Ulrich explains.In his experience, "the shavings don't cling and the disc cuts freely" (Fig.2). Also, due to its special construction, you can see through the largediamond disc during use and position it with precision. Consequently, it isideal for subsequent shaping (Fig. 3). The easiest way to polish theedges is by using fibre discs. Such flexible discs contain abrasives andcontour themselves around the object (Fig. 4). It is best to use these insequence; first the brown, then the grey and finally the red one.

In addition to using the thermo-formed splint to protect againstabrasion, Ulrich also uses them as the basis for teeth-borne splints.

OUnusual tools in the preparation of splints

Fig. 1: Its sharpness and sturdy build make the

large diamond disc an ideal tool to use on tough

thermo-formed splints.

Fig. 2: The disc combines the saw-tooth with

double sided, extremely sharp diamond

technology.

Fig. 3: A good line of sight allows for precisecontouring/shaping

A thermo-formed splint is still the quickest form of relief for'teethgrinders'. Whilst there isn't a therapeutical aim behind a typicalgum shield, it does reduce jaw movements and the pressure ofchewing, thus preventing abrasion. Ulrich's laboratory produces thesethermo-formed splints.

A good tool for coarse and fine work on splintsRecently, Ulrich has started to use the large diamond cutting disc fromKomet to cut out the moulded shape from two millimetre thick plates(Fig. 1). Although the disc was developed to make clean cuts for gearsmade from plaster or modelling plastic, its sharpness and sturdy naturemakes it an ideal tool for working on tough thermo-formed discs.

“The disc cuts effortlessly through the material being worked, due tothe combination of saw teeth and super sharp diamond technology

For instance, before a total reconstruction, he makes two identicalplates. One represents the current dental situation (Fig. 5 and 6), theother is worn by the patient until preparation. When the patient comesinto the surgery for their appointment, this splint can be of help to thepractitioner to check the correct bite at any time.

A CeraLine milling tool is used to refine the edges. The brilliant whitecutter is made from ceramics. (Fig. 7). As with modern kitchen knives,if used correctly, the cutting edge remains permanently sharp andclean.

Almost invisibleThe third type of splint made by Ulrich is a modified ‘Tanner’ splint,made from Orthocryl clear (Dentaurum, Germany). This stabilises thebite even in free-end situations (Fig. 8) or raises the bite if required(Fig. 9). The acrylic bars are joined by an individually cast CrCoconnector.

Source: DZW ZahnTechnik · Edition 3/12 from 07.03.2012 3/12

Fig. 4; Edges can be finely polished using

flexible fibre discs.

Fig. 5; A thermo-formed base used as a biteregistration.

Fig. 6; ... for a teeth-borne splint

connector. After adjusting the occlusion, thesurface is finished with fibre discs. Theocclusion is bedded into the bridge and theplastic is smoothed using fibre discs.

The junctions between plastic and metal canbe worked with a “Soft cutter”. This tool, withits unusual square shape, is effective atremoving plastic without damaging orscratching adjacent metal surfaces (Fig. 10).After polishing, Ulrich sandblasts the plasticocclusal walls with 50 µm Aluminium oxide.

This matt surface makes it easier to see anymarks produced by the opposing bite. “Fromthe patient’s perspective, the good thingabout this type of splint is that the acrylicdoesn't overlap the front teeth. Consequentlyyou can't see the construction and it doesn'taffect speech“, says Ulrich.

Author Thomas Dürr, BremenTranslated by Dr Chris ThomasMilton Contact Ltd

Fig. 7; The CeraLine-Mill with its ceramic parts is ideal

for the edges of tough thermo-formed plates.

Fig. 8; Modified ‘Tanner’ splints serve to stabilise

a free-end situation ...

Fig. 9; ... or even raise the bite where there are

gaps on one side

Fig. 10; The Softcutter, with its distinctive

square shape, removes acrylic without

scratching the metal surface.

Picture credits; Fig. 1–3, 5–10; Ulrich; Fig. 4; Komet

Source: DZW ZahnTechnik · Edition 3/12 from 07.03.2012