Most malocclusions develop in childhood as early as three years old and continuing through the mixed dentition stage. Recognition of these problems can provide you the opportunity to treat and solve these bite-related problems early in a patient’s life-- and save your patients a lifetime of dental and other related health issues.  

To address common problems – malocclusions, habits, improper spacing and the like -- and develop a thriving pediatric dental practice, you’ll need to stock up on the proper pediatric dental products.

At SML, our network of dental labs can supply you with the pediatric dental products you need at a great price. We carry the top names in pre-formed dental appliances and pediatric crowns.  

Moving teeth is always tricky, but molars are often the most difficult to move -- making the dentist’s or orthodontist’s life just that much more difficult.

Poorly positioned molars must be addressed right away. If not, they can dramatically affect the patient’s occlusion.

Wilson appliances are designed to help dentists and orthodontists align molars with optimum precision and ease. At SML Global, we offer the following Wilson appliances:

• Wilson 3D Palatal Appliance
• Wilson 3D Multi-Action Palatal Appliance
• Wilson 3D Quad-Helix U

“For patients with crowns or bridges, bruxism may cause porcelain fracture and failure of the restoration. Implant complications are more likely in people who habitually clench or grind their teeth (Perl, 1994, Nishimura et al., 1997)

The Talon® Splint

“Talon” refers to the soft thermoplastic resilient polymer used for the retentive portion of the splint. It maintains its original flexibility for years, thus eliminating the need for any other form of mechanical retention. Hard acrylic is chemically bonded to the talon material, comprising the splint’s occlusal surface.

Superior Fit and Retention, Speech-Friendly Comfort

Talon’s soft thermoplastic resilient polymer provides the comfortable fit of a soft material while providing the positive retention needed to maintain an appliance in the mouth without the use of clasps. Hard acrylic is then bonded to the Talon material to give you the superior protection of a hard splint. Hard acrylic makes it easy to adjust the occlusal surface precisely and maintain a proper proprioceptive response with the opposing dentition. There are no speech-inhibiting lingual extensions, either. 

Ask your parents about any thumb sucking behavior they’ve noticed in their child. Ask them if they are seeking to prevent this behavior.    If the answer to either of these questions is no, then now is the time to discuss potential damage associated with continued thumb sucking – airway dysfunction, narrowing of the maxilla, increased facial height, and behavioral issues arising from lack of restful sleep.

Bruxism is believed by most researchers to be one of the leading causes of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) (Blaros, Tabacchii & Glass, 1998; Israel et. al., 1999;Yustin et. al., 1993).

The Horseshoe Splint

Ideal for treatment of TMJ dysfunction-related neck/shoulder/sinus pain; joint clicking; malocclusion; impaired excursion in opening of the mouth; or deviant motions of the jaw, the Horseshoe Splint presents a flat occlusal surface composed of high-impact clear acrylic resin.

As dental professionals are well aware, oral habits which begin in infancy -- like thumb sucking – can often be the cause of dental disasters later in childhood and even into adulthood. For instance, pediatric Sleep-Disordered Breathing (SDB) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

And while most parents recognize that thumb sucking is a bad habit, many will fail to attach much significance to a habit that has a calming effect and is perceived as a phase they will “grow out of” eventually. The fact is, there is more to thumb sucking and oral habits than was previously postulated.

Let’s begin with a few key points:

• Grinding or clenching breaks down enamel and can eventually reduce teeth to stumps.

• Absence of enamel makes it easier for bacteria to penetrate the softer part of teeth and produce cavities.

• As long as bruxism continues, the situation keeps getting worse.

Successful management of bruxism depends on minimizing the abrasion of tooth surfaces by the wearing of a dental splint created from a bite mold and fitted to the shape of an individual’s upper or lower teeth. When you consider the need for interceptive care – for adults as well as children – the message is clear. The essence of Splint Therapy is that potentially EVERYBODY needs it.

Dual Laminate Splints

The Dual Laminate Splint acts to absorb shock, stabilizing the occlusion while helping prevent further damage to teeth and the temporomandibular joint.  

Splints are generally classified according to their intended function. The two most common types of splints are the disengaging occlusal correcting splints and the mandibular or anterior repositioning splints.

Disengaging splints eliminate chronic and acute malocclusion and induce relaxation of the masticatory muscles. This is accomplished by introducing an optimum occlusal position, thus allowing a reorganization of the neuromuscular reflex activity and a deprogramming of the musculature.

Mandibular repositioning splints are used to prevent the disc-condyle complexes from returning to the fully occluded position…or to set the condyles in a more favorable condyle disc relationship in the fossa so that normal function can be established.

These splints are removable appliances. Typically constructed of hard acrylic, they fit over the occlusal surface of either the auxiliary or mandibular dentition to create a precise occlusal relationship with the teeth of the opposing arch.  A properly designed splint can:

No dentist can possibly master every diagnosis, especially when patients present with such a varied litany of symptoms. Sometimes patients don’t know how to describe their symptoms effectively, or complain about symptoms that are related to two (or more) distinct issues.

If you find yourself in need of a second opinion or a treatment recommendation, avail yourself of SML’s Digital Diagnostic Dental Lab. Our experienced staff clinicians can digitally review your cases and help you make the right diagnosis for your patients.

Visit our website and access our HIPAA-compliant, password-protected SML Digital Portal to send us your digital cases.