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Spear Digest Dental Articles

Occlusal Appliances: The Anterior-only Appliance for Treating Muscle Pain (Part I)
Occlusion & Wear

Occlusal Appliances: The Anterior-only Appliance for Treating Muscle Pain (Part I)

As I described in a previous article, an anterior-only appliance is an excellent choice for patients with muscle pain because it reduces muscle activity...

| 10 years ago ›
Occlusal Appliances: Diagnosing Muscle and Joint Pain
1
Occlusion & Wear

Occlusal Appliances: Diagnosing Muscle and Joint Pain

In this series I have discussed what appliance options exist, why we typically use occlusal appliances and the potential theory of how they impact muscles...

| 10 years ago ›
Occlusal Appliances: How Do They Impact Joints?
Occlusion & Wear

Occlusal Appliances: How Do They Impact Joints?

Pain in the area surrounding the TMJ can be referred from several sources, particularly muscles. This is especially true of pain in front of the ear,...

| 10 years ago ›
Can We Be Too Accurate With Bite Records?
Occlusion & Wear

Can We Be Too Accurate With Bite Records?

Over the years the accuracy we are able to achieve in dentistry has greatly increased. While in most cases the more accurate we can be the better, there...

| 10 years ago ›
Occlusal Appliances: How Do They Impact Muscles? [Part II]
Occlusion & Wear

Occlusal Appliances: How Do They Impact Muscles? [Part II]

As I mentioned in Part I of this article, it is critical that clinicians realize that different patients may respond differently to the same occlusal...

| 10 years ago ›
Occlusal Appliances: How do They Impact Muscles? [Part I]
Occlusion & Wear

Occlusal Appliances: How do They Impact Muscles? [Part I]

In this series I have previously described the common appliance options available, as well as the most common reasons an appliance may be prescribed....

| 10 years ago ›
Occlusal Appliances: Why Use Them? [Part II]
Occlusion & Wear

Occlusal Appliances: Why Use Them? [Part II]

The following is an continuation of the overview of the more common reasons for prescribing occlusal appliances. In Part I, I discussed: Diagnosing...

| 10 years ago ›
Occlusal Appliances: Why Use Them? [Part I]
1
Occlusion & Wear

Occlusal Appliances: Why Use Them? [Part I]

In the previous article in this series I outlined the more common occlusal appliance options available. In this article I'll provide an overview of the...

| 10 years ago ›
Snake Killers: Are You Using Them?
Occlusion & Wear

Snake Killers: Are You Using Them?

In a previous article I talked about tips for consistent models. While good models are of critical importance so is putting them in...

| 10 years ago ›
Occlusal Appliances: The Options
Occlusion & Wear

Occlusal Appliances: The Options

As an educator, one of the most confusing areas for clinicians in my experience concerns which occlusal appliance to prescribe. There are many reasons...

| 10 years ago ›
Overlays to Open VDO and Test a Muscle Mediated Position
1
Occlusion & Wear

Overlays to Open VDO and Test a Muscle Mediated Position

This patient presented with a concern about his bite. A first look at the top image would not alert the observer to the fact that he was incredibly...

| 10 years ago ›
Restoring the Bulimic Patient
1
Occlusion & Wear

Restoring the Bulimic Patient

Among the challenges of restorative dentistry are erosion cases – and bulimia is part of that group. Bulimic patients, unlike...

| 10 years ago ›