Management of Dental Compression Syndrome

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.

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