What is the ideal material for 3D printed bite splints?

Today new materials are being created at a rapid pace to meet the growing demand for 3D printed products for dentistry. Defining the ideal properties and combination of characteristics is the topic of discussion in an episode of the Bite Splint Masterclass with DSD Founder, Christian Coachman and Dr Elisa Praderi, Senior Clinical Protocols & KOL Manager at Formlabs Dental.

In this article, we take a closer look at the highlights from the conversation, which includes a comparison between bite splint materials and rigidity versus flexibility in bite splints.

Evolving from traditional solutions

TMJ disorders and bruxism continue to be an important problem for dentistry to address.

Thanks to 3D printing this is becoming easier, more cost-effective, and comfortable for patients. “Traditionally, splints fall into two main camps; soft splints made from vulcanite, soft vulcanized rubber, and soft latex rubber and on the other hand, rigid splints made from hard acrylic materials,” Dr Praderi explains.

While the soft splints have a good fit and are comfortable to wear, they can trigger further muscle activity, do not provide stable occlusion and have a limited lifetime. The rigid splints provide stable occlusion, last longer and do not trigger muscle activity, but patients find them very uncomfortable which can lead to treatment dropout. “Despite their limitations, digitally milled, rigid acrylic splints have been the gold standard for some time,” Coachman adds.

Creating a solution that combines the best of both worlds was the goal of Formlabs Dental when they launched the Dental LT Comfort Resin. This material is used to create a printed bite splint that is flexible, stabilizing occlusion while addressing the important issue of patient comfort.

Comparing materials for bite splints

Many factors contribute to a good bite splint and these are all considered in this comparison table when assessing the following three materials: Traditional acrylic rigid splint, digital rigid splint printed with Dental LT Clear Resin V2, and digital flexible splint with Dental LT Comfort Resin.

Features that are evaluated in this table (below) include impression distortion, manufacturing distortion, hand skill dependency, occlusal adjustment, comfort to the patient, impact on muscle activity, cost of outsourcing production, cost of in-house production, manufacturing and delivery time, wear resistance, surface hardness, appearance, polishability, expected lifetime and percentage of redos of appliances.