Stomatognathic system stability, tmj and occlusion, treatment position for full mouth restorations. How digital dentistry has changed the treatment plan

Stomatognathic system stability

Epidemiological studies suggest that 40-60% of the general population have at least one sign of a temporomandibular disorder (TMD). That means that it’s not uncommon for such a patient to present at the dental clinic seeking for advice or treatment. Also some dental procedures such as dental anesthesia, third molar extraction, endodontic treatment might secondary cause such a disorder. The general dentist does not necessarily need to treat this cases if he/she do not feel comfortable with but they should have the knowledge to recognise the disorders, advise the patient and be able to prevent these disorders from happening during routine dental treatment.

Occlusion-Confusion, most dentist feel this way. Occlusion is one of the most important part of dentistry but also the most controversy. The equilibrium and the restore of function of the stomatognathic system is often an everyday challenge during most dental treatments. For these two distinct reasons the dentist needs to study and fully understand the normal function of the TMJoints, understand how the mandible rests against the cranium in a most favourable position, and of course how occlusion and any dental prosthetic restorations should be adjusted without jeopardising the stability of the stomatognathic system.

The use of digital protocols for the treatment of patients with TMD and occlusal problems

Digital dentistry is advancing rapidly. The advantages are major, the clinical and laboratory time is significantly less, the comfort for the patient is undoubtedly. As a result the final restorations are easily produced through CAD/CAM, quicker and predictable, providing at the same time an excellent fit. 3D printers allow us to fabricate and deliver in a very short time splints that need minimal adjustment. The comparison of the different intraoral scans provide accurate comparison of possible occlusal changes or mandibular position shift This all is possible with a couple of mouse clicks versus mounting stone models on articulators and trying to measure shifts that often are not even visible. Finally 4D radiographs allow the clinician to evaluate not only joint morphology and pathology, but also the real movements that are so individual for every joint even more the ones with pathology

If in your clinical practice you were puzzled with:

A very loud “clicking” of the TMJ

A very well adjusted intraoral appliance that fails to address patients symptoms

A very well adjusted feeling or crown that caused pain in the face and functional limitations

An extraction that caused limitation of mouth opening to the patient

A patient that had no stable “bite” to register

Acquired dental malocclusions

Full mouth restoration that upon delivery the patient returned with a severe malocclusion

How to take advance of the advantages of digital dentistry

...this webinar might be useful since we will address these clinical everyday problems. We will study:

- Stomatognathic system stability

- Normal function of the TMJ

- Various TMJ dysfunctions

- Differential diagnosis among TMJ dysfunctions

- How occlusion actually affects dysfunction

- How should occlusion be corrected as a functional part of a healthy stomatognathic system

- The use of digital protocols for the treatment of patients with TMJ dysfunctions and occlusal problems