There are three phases of management of
Dental Compression Syndrome.
- Education
- Equilibration
- Guard Therapy
Equilibration: how the teeth fit together
When your teeth do touch, how exactly are they touching? Is
it in a comfortable manner, or is it uncomfortable?
Equilibration can
easily be tested at the dentist's office by placing thin
strips of green wax on the teeth and closing once.
The impressions in the wax are then carefully examined. Ideal
contacts are those confined to the tips of the cusps. Heavy
contacts are minimized by sharpening or reshaping the teeth. The
procedure is simple, does not hurt, and only a minute amount of
enamel is removed.
Natures Ideal Contact
How long does it take?
Although a thirty-minute appointment is reserved for the
procedure, it only takes about ten to fifteen minutes to
re-contour the teeth, and then there is a short follow-up
appointment for "fine tuning."
What does it feel like afterwards?
It is hard to explain because the patient is feeling less
stress on the teeth. That is because
they are fitting together and feeling better. The sharpening procedure reduces the
physical stress where the root of the tooth enters the cone,
which is exactly what we want.
Evaluating the benefits:
- The teeth are never shortened
- Physical stress at the necks of teeth is reduced
- The mandible returns to its natural position
- Chewing efficiency improves
- Less force is required to chew
- The tendency to compress the teeth is reduced
- Stress on
bone supporting the teeth is reduced
- Stress on the TMJ is reduced
Guard Therapy
