QuickSplint® temporary bite plane provides compelling visual evidence of parafunction, improving patient understanding and case acceptance. Here are a few examples of how QuickSplint can aid clenchers and grinders.
A) Perio patient is a grinder
You can see the abfractions and worn dentition on her teeth. You want to get the teeth out of occlusion while she sleeps, so her gum tissue can heal without complication.
B) Developing treatment plan for full mouth restoration
You have a classic case of treating worn dentition for a man in his fifties. The case could be staged, or you might try to accelerate the schedule, given some comments about his budget and timing. Before you finalize your choice of materials, you’d like to know if the parafunction is still active, and if so, is it severe?
C) Your practice needs a new patient promotion
Your practice needs a promotion that will attract new patients and be meaningful to the bottom line. Lots of other practices offer whitening promotions. It is hard to stand out.
Having a QuickSplint temporary bite plane and the Parafunction Risk Rating Protocol ready for these situations is the lowest cost screening mechanism by far. It’s only $20 for the QuickSplint plus the time you spend. QuickSplint provides compelling visual evidence of parafunction!
In (A) the Periodontist fits the patient with a QuickSplint and instructed her to wear it overnight for two weeks. On her recall visit, wear marks could be seen and the patient experienced other benefits. By informing the referring dentist, the periodontist helped confirm a diagnosis of parafunction. The dentist set a treatment plan in place to protect the patient from further risk of weakening her gum structure or causing a new problem.
In (B), you use the Parafunction Risk Rating Protocol findings and practice documentation to aid in patient communication and informed consent, such that the patient understands and appreciates how you selected the best adhesives and restorative materials for his condition.
In (C) your practices uses the Parafunction Risk Rating Protocol as a free screening for bruxism. This type of promotion gives you more to work with in getting to know a new patient and providing a diagnostic trial and education at low cost. Now you have information to use in your treatment recommendations and subsequent annual recall. Doesn’t this seem more meaningful than a special on free bleaching trays?
Many dentists think that anterior bite plane (ABP) deprogrammers are all the same. And at their core, they all do the same thing. But when used as a deprogrammer, QuickSplint provides the ideal combination of features, ease-of-use, and affordability that make it the most versatile and practical ABP deprogrammer for today's dental practice. Here are some common deprogramming scenarios you might see in your practice.
A) New digital case, need for deprogramming
You are excited to have this great digital case, yet your somewhat high-strung patient can present so many different bite records that it doesn’t even matter how feature-rich your technology is. It is going to take at least a couple weeks of deprogramming until you can get another shot at taking bite records.
B) Severe wear patient wants full mouth reconstruction
You see a new patient with severe wear that is interested in a smile make-over and wants your opinion.
C) Patient with recurring, severe tension headaches
You have a patient in today for his regular cleaning. He’s in a lot of pain from a tension headache and he’s miserable.
In (A) you provide QuickSplint as a safe and comfortable overnight deprogrammer, instructing the patient to wear it overnight for two weeks. You make an appointment to take bite records and provide specific instructions for the day of the appointment.
In (B) you are delighted at the prospect of helping your patient with a new smile and explain the first step is proper case planning starting with investigation of possible parafunction. You provide QuickSplint for overnight wear for a period of two weeks. At the follow up, you examine the QuickSplint for wear marks, and utilize the Parafunction Risk Rating Protocol to document risk and use this determination in treatment planning and material selection.
In (C) your hygienist alerts you to the situation. You want to help your patient get some relief, so you have your assistant make him a QuickSplint temporary bite plane to wear at night for three weeks, and provide him with HEALS Patient Self-Care Measures and JAW Rx-Ercises, daytime exercises to help with tension headaches and jaw pain. Your team makes a follow-up phone call in two days to see if he is feeling better. If he is feeling improved with the use of QuickSplint, your staff schedules him for an appointment for long-term appliance therapy.
QuickSplint is sold in a 12-Pack: one dozen units in single patient take-home containers with instructions for short-term use.
Send your patients home with an immediate, comfortable overnight solution to protect their teeth and new dental work and prevent tooth, jaw and facial pain. Use of QuickSplint minimizes possible complications and helps smooths transitions in staged treatment.
A) Patient wants perfect anterior veneers
She is a delightful patient willing to pay for perfection. You have selected materials that will perform well under stress of her parafunctional behavior. However, she is a fierce clencher and there’s a chance that she is going to knock off her provisionals when she is on her high stakes business trip next week. Trip timing is not ideal. There have been other instances where she has come back for a re-do.
B) Wrapping up an Invisalign case
The patient is happy with her bite and new look. She’s one of those patients that wanted to analyze all the options. She is a value investor type and believes that it’s worth paying for Invisalign if the results are lasting.
C) Performing periodontal laser treatment with the LANAP® Protocol
Your patient has severe gum disease and wants minimally invasive treatment. He’s a good candidate who seems determined to improve his oral health that he previously neglected.
In (A) you recognize this high stress situation for this beautiful professional woman. You make a QuickSplint for her to wear over her provisionals and emphasize that she brings QuickSplint with her on the trip. When it’s time for veneer placement, you reline the QuickSplint and instruct her to wear it over the new veneers when she sleeps until the lab delivers a custom appliance to protect those beautiful teeth.
In (B) you decide to give the patient a QuickSplint to wear at night, over her last set of trays. You know that can help you determine whether she needs a hard acrylic nightguard as a final retainer or just the three sets of trays you give most patients. She’s pleased that you care to check this possibility and she is willing to invest in the hard acrylic nightguard as insurance her teeth won’t move.
In (C) you provide QuickSplint for post-operative use as a part of the LANAP Protocol to keep the teeth stable and out of occlusion while protecting the gums and fibrin clot. QuickSplint is comforting to the patient and contributes to recovery of jaw muscles and joints.
Leading dentists use QuickSplint to minimize the risk of jaw injury during dental procedures and help the jaw relax and recover post operatively. Here are a few examples of how QuickSplint can be utilized to provide an extra measure of care for higher risk patients.
A) Posterior crown prep was hard the last time
You and your staff remember last year, when she couldn’t keep her jaw open during crown prep on #18. She had limited range-of-motion to start, and she wanted breaks and looked anxious about the time it was taking. She is scheduled for a crown prep on #19 this week, and she told your staff she dreads the procedure.
B) High risk patient
Your treatment coordinator is with the patient, scheduling two appointments for scaling and root planing, with the second appointment for two weeks after the first. The treatment coordinator has the patient fill out the JAMSS Risk Assessment Questionnaire; she spots red flags in the patient’s responses.
C) Signs of jaw fatigue
Young woman has her first root canal. She was nervous and highly agitated before the procedure. There were some signs of jaw fatigue during the RCT. Do you manage the risk of sudden onset of jaw pain now, or see what manifests? You don’t want to cause alarm or worry.
Again, your staff are on it – in (A and B) they plan for the patient to wear the QuickSplint bite plane for a few days before the prep, and they reline it for him/her after the procedure and provide the HEALS Patient Self-Care Measures. Staff informs patients that these are protective measures he/she may not need, but that these are important steps to take in case they experience any issues. Your staff schedules a few extra minutes for the prep appointment so there is time for short breaks. Your assistant helps you remember to not rest your hand on the patient’s mandible.
The staff handle the situation in (C) by letting you step out of the room and sharing the If You Have Jaw Pain Flyer and the HEALS Patient Self-Care Measures with the young woman and asking her if she would like to have a QuickSplint made today or wait and see how she feels in a few days. She is very comforted by the HEALS handout and wants to try self-care measures first.
The QuickSplint anterior bite plane can be fabricated chairside in 5 minutes meaning you can begin treatment for jaw pain immediately.
QuickSplint provides practice teams with an immediate way to relieve jaw pain and get patients on the path to healing. Here are some real-life scenarios where QuickSplint can be a powerful clinical solution.
A) Tight schedule and patients presenting with jaw pain
You have seen 30 patients today and three patients present with jaw complaints. You don't have time to fully evaluate each case, nor do you feel confident that you will be able to retain the level of detail each one presents, given all that's happened today.
B) Patient has acute flare up again
The patient wants pain relief. In the back of your mind, you can visualize how hard she is clenching as she is talking about her condition. You can see her today, but you can’t deliver a new custom splint like the one she stopped wearing last year. Her jaw needs a little rest and she needs to retrain certain oral habits, and she needs it today before she gets worse.
C) Patient calls, he can barely open his jaw today
Endo surgery yesterday went fine. The patient filled the pain med prescription, but today he can barely open his jaw. He wants to know what to do and he sounds freaked out (he was referred by your favorite colleague.)
Thankfully, your staff know what to do. From the front desk, to treatment coordinator to dental assistant, they all do their part to encourage the patients to start treatment with QuickSplint temporary bite plane.
For the patients presenting with jaw pain in (A) your front desk has each patient complete the Jaw Pain Questionnaire and provides the If You Have Jaw Pain Flyer to read in the waiting room, so patients can better understand jaw pain and can relax knowing they will receive treatment today. The appointment starts with your review of the Jaw Pain Questionnaire, initial evaluation, and discussion of the use of QuickSplint and HEALS Patient Self-Care Measures. You prescribe muscle relaxants and schedule a follow-up.
For the patients in (B) and (C) , the staff accommodate the patient's ability to come to the office today. A dental assistant is lined up to deliver the QuickSplint and provides the HEALS Patient Self-Care Measures. You stop by to confirm the fit of the QuickSplint bite plane and discuss why this sometimes happens with jaw joint and muscle sprain/strain. You prescribe muscle relaxants if appropriate. Staff schedules follow-up appointments in 1 to 3 days as appropriate.
