The incidence of stress-related bruxism (separate from TMJ pathology) is on the rise nation-wide. According to the ADA, 95% of people will experience bruxism at some time in their life.
The first step in the dental practice is to organize to routinely screen for “silent sufferers”. The prophylaxis cleaning / exam is a first, best-practices opportunity for the dentist and/or hygienist to look for the 13 most common clinically diagnostic clues:
- Wearing and flattening of the teeth
- Tooth fracture
- Gumline notching/abfraction
- Alveolar bone loss
- Root canal treatment with no caries
- Resorption
- Generalized tooth sensitivity
- Toothache when no other dental cause is evident
- Extremely tight cheek muscles
- Jaw pain
- Crepitus or cracking during opening
- Head, shoulder or neck pain
- Difficulty opening or staying open
If several of these are present, or NOT, routinely ask each patient if they have been experiencing “jaw pain” particularly upon waking, or are they aware of clenching/grinding.
GrindRelief PRO packaging provides reception/treatment room pamphlets and wall placards to help “raise the question” and identify these patients. Early diagnosis and immediate treatment at a reasonable fee benefit the patient and your practice.
Very often patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) also suffer from nighttime bruxism; regular patient health histories may reveal these patients to you.
GrindRelief PRO does not require models, laboratory fees, nor multiple appointments. You can offer economical therapy the same day you diagnose. Invented and patented by a dentist who suffered from bruxism, the appliance features a unique Central Power Bar, to prevent bite-through and reduce harmful muscle activity by 60% or more. The Power Bar creates pressure on the upper and lower mid-lines simultaneously.
The GrindRelief can be fitted by the dentist, the chairside assistant or a hygienist in about 10 minutes. All that is needed is a bowl of hot water (~1600F), about the temperature of a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
The video shows exactly how to warm it, mold it and confirm and assure proper fit. This is a practical and economic benefit for you and the patient.
When it is correctly fitted, it will be comfortable (not crimping or torqueing the teeth) but should require removal from the mouth with the fingers. The patient should not be able to dislodge it with the tongue nor cheeks during sleep.
Also, here is a link to the Instructions For Use card that also comes in the GrindRelief PRO prepack.
In some cases, you may want to provide a protective clear splint for the opposing arch. The GrindRelief PRO also includes clear 0.20’’ sheets (potentially one for each of the GrindRelief devices) for your vacuum-forming machine.
Because the GrindRelief can be softened and re-fitted as often as needed, it is also perfect for children, whose dentition will change, or re-fit when subsequent restorative/prosthetics are provided. By contrast, the original, lab-made NTI and hard acrylic horseshoe splints must be re-done completely in these situations.
GrindRelief PRO can be fitted to upper or lower arches, by the dentist or auxiliary, in 5-6 minutes and it can be re-fitted if needed. Extending only to the first premolars, it is more comfortable than horseshoe splints, for better compliance. GrindRelief PRO is offered at quantity discounts, with instructive videos, marketing collaterals, patient storage cases and more.
Lower cost, less time, highly efficient, more profitable.
Easy to Use:
The GrindRelief should NOT BE PLACED in patients with missing anterior teeth nor with diastemas or other natural undercuts, as easy insertion and removal may be challenged. Orthodontic wires preclude use of the GrindRelief.
The GrindRelief is designed to be effective but comfortable. Sometimes, after the patient is released and in treatment, the plastic may slightly shrink and the device tighten slightly. One of the great benefits of GrindRelief is that it can be re-softened and recalibrated if needed. This could be a drop-by office visit, or the patient can be instructed by phone or video call.
In very rare cases, if the patient cannot remove the GrindRelief, this video demonstrated the in-office technique to mechanically remove it.
Frequently asked questions
GrindRelief is designed and patented by Joseph Pelerin, DDS, and is based on the same principle as the Nociceptive Trigeminal Inhibitory (NTI) Splint, which has been shown to reduce symptoms of bruxism by preventing the occlusion of the most posterior teeth.
The GrindRelief design includes a Central Power Bar that can affect BOTH arches simultaneously, as demonstrated in the video, for a reduction of harmful muscle activity of up to 60%.
While it is based on sound research, IF it involves a laboratory, the NTI device requires multiple appointments, additional fees, impressions, models, etc. These additional costs and fees can drive the price of the treatment beyond the reach of many patients. GrindRelief is always delivered in one appointment, with minimal chair time, no waiting time (second appointment) and therefore, it can often be at a lower price-point.
GrindRelief was awarded a patent because of its unique design.
Although there is a version of NTI that is formed chairside, it involves starting with a purchased NTI “frame” and then inserting soft thermoplastic bead material. GrindRelief arrives at your office read-to-use. It’s a Plug- And-Play treatment; the thermoplastic is already contained inside the more rigid “tray”.
The interior thermoplastic comes molded with “ruffles and ridges”, so that the plastic will heat quickly and uniformly in the water, and there will be space to fold the thermoplastic into the tray for custom fitting. Fig. 1
The GrindRelief has a rigid Central Power Bar inside the rigid tray/shell (3 mm thick) the rest of the shell is 0.20 mm thick. Fig. 2
Both devices use midline pressure and anterior guidance to get results. But, the GrindRelief can flex; self-adjusting at the midline and putting pressure on the upper and lower midline at the same time. As the patient bites down, and the cuspids and laterals depress these lateral portions, the device flexes like a butterfly and the principal contact is at the midline upper and lower at the same time.
Unlike the smaller anterior disclusion devices (eg NTI), GrindRelief extends to the bicuspid area and if a patient’s jaw can retro, we still have “working contact”, where the smaller device may not be. If a person has a long centric, or their jaw can slide back substantially, they may not be able to contact the NTI device, but with the GrindRelief and its bicuspid contact, this does not happen.
Lastly, if the dentition moves and changes, as with a growing child, or if prosthetics/restorations are added or replaced, GrindRelief can be re-softened and re-fitted by the clinical team or by the patient at home.
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
GrindRelief is more comfortable, and better tolerated by most patients than a full-arch splint, and the device is much quicker and easier to provide, with no impressions, models or waiting time involved for the patient.
If the dentition changes or new restorative or prosthetic work is done in the anterior, the full-arch splint must be re-done completely. The GrindRelief is merely adjusted.
The GrindRelief has a 3-year limited warranty.
Some published research indicates that the rubber mouth guards that people buy in the store, diagnosing and treating themselves, can actually do more harm than good, by actually facilitating more clenching activity. It is very easy for the patient to misdiagnose bruxism, potentially missing some other clinical or TMJ problems, and to provide a poorly-fitting appliance for themselves.
The GrindRelief has a 3-year limited warranty.