More than 10 years of research and development
Experiments performed by Jorge Oyanedel Neira, leading to find a way to prevent and relieve those who suffer from bruxism have led him to develop a dental splint to prevent and relieve the effects of bruxing.
The Temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) presents two well defined contact points: the mandibular condyle and the cranial surface where it settles. Both play an important role in the syndrome called bruxism. This comprises grinding teeth during the night sleep. This process wears teeth and it is the cause not only of gingival inflammation but losing dental pieces.
Bruxing can also be related to headache and painful ailments of apparently unknown etiology. Anatomy shows that both contact surfaces (jaw condyle and cranium) are separated by a disc (meniscus) that allows friction movements and keeps a physiological clearance.
The natural process of mastication takes approximately 30 minutes and then the gum rests to recover occlusion. Bruxing however, keeps the mastication process during long periods overnight which affects all the mastication system producing inflammation and wear.
Many painful symptoms, such as a type of trigeminal neuralgia, migraine type headache, tinnitus, vertigo and others could be explained by this lesional phenomenon apparently provoked by bruxing.
The proposed invention intends to prevent consequences of bruxism increasing the clearance between glena and mandibular condyle during sleep or during the day as therapeutic healing action through a system that serves as flexible cushion which buffers nocturnal mastication pressure of bruxism, in a way that allows recovery of elasticity of the gum and not affecting the thin glena-cranium bone layer where it settles. It additionally prevents the uncomfortability of splints comprising a hard and stiff structure.
The dental splint to prevent and relieve bruxism refers to a structure of flexible material set on a device that is introduced into the mouth coinciding with the sites of dental arcades in such a way that when clenching mandibles during the bruxing period while asleep, the clearance distance created between the glenoid bone (cranium) and mandibular condyle (jaw) will prevent contact between these surfaces. Keeping this space clear will prevent symptoms and painful afore mentioned consequences.
