Jaw Stabilization Splint

What we make

A jaw stabilization splint (occlusal or bite splint) is a hard full-arch appliance that gives even contact with the opposing teeth, so the masticatory muscles can relax and the TMJ is unloaded. Material: medical-grade resin meeting FDA standards, custom-made on each patient’s models.

Common indications

• Bruxism and clenching: protects natural teeth and restorations from wear and chipping; usually worn at night.
• Temporomandibular disorders (TMD): supports relief of muscle and joint pain under the dentist’s prescription and follow-up.
• After extensive restorative work: protects crowns, bridges, veneers or full-arch restorations in patients who grind.

The splint is not an orthodontic retainer and does not advance the mandible. For protection during sport, see the custom sports mouthguard. For snoring or sleep apnea, see the sleep apnea appliance.

What to send us

• Intraoral scans (STL/PLY) or impressions/models of both arches.
• A bite registration at the position you choose (for example centric relation) and the vertical opening you want in the posterior region.
• Which arch, the main purpose (bruxism or TMD) and the guidance you want: canine guidance or protrusive guidance.
• The location of fixed restorations and implant crowns, so we can adjust retention.

Our process

1. Check the data and mount the models at the recorded bite.
2. Design the splint: thickness, coverage, contacts with the opposing arch and guidance surfaces as prescribed.
3. Fabricate in medical-grade resin meeting FDA standards and adjust contacts on the mounted models.
4. Polish, check the fit and ship with a storage case.

Design-only service

For labs or clinics that print splints in-house, we design the bite splint and send the file back: 12 hours for the design, with a 2-hour express option. Other design items are listed on our dental CAD design service page.

At delivery

Check fit and contacts intraorally, adjust lightly if needed, and schedule a review of the bite and symptoms. In heavy bruxers the splint wears over time; check it regularly and remake it when it is thin or cracked.

To discuss a specific case, contact Khai Nguyen.

Written for dentists and technicians. Khai Nguyen Dental Lab manufactures to clinical prescription only and does not sell directly to patients.

Hard or soft splint: what the literature says

• Okeson (JADA 1987) recorded nocturnal muscle activity in ten participants wearing a hard and then a soft occlusal splint. The hard splint significantly reduced muscle activity in eight of the ten. The soft splint reduced it in only one, and five of the ten had a statistically significant increase. The study is small, but it is still widely cited.
• Albagieh et al. (Saudi Dental Journal 2023) state that soft rubber splints cannot balance occlusal contacts, which makes them unsuitable for effective splint therapy.

Our stabilization splint is hard resin. Our custom sports mouthguard (multi-layer, 2–6 mm) absorbs impact in sport and is not a substitute for a stabilization splint in a bruxer.

Design principles of a stabilization splint

A systematic review by Boulatar et al. (Dental and Medical Problems 2026) describes the stabilization splint as rigid acrylic with a flat, smooth occlusal surface. Opposing teeth contact it evenly and simultaneously in centric relation, contacts in maximum intercuspation are simultaneous and symmetrical, and canine guidance is maintained in lateral movements.

Albagieh et al. add that a splint which does not cover all teeth or contact the opposing teeth evenly should not be worn for four to six weeks, and that wearing a splint 24 hours a day may cause irreversible occlusal changes.

Realistic expectations of efficacy

• TMD as a group: Riley et al. (British Dental Journal 2020) reviewed 37 trials, with very low certainty of evidence. With all TMD subtypes pooled, there was no evidence that splints reduced pain versus no splint or minimal treatment (SMD up to 3 months −0.18, 95% CI −0.42 to 0.06; 13 trials, 1,076 participants).
• Myogenous TMD: Boulatar et al. pooled 10 randomized trials (539 participants, mean follow-up 6 months). Most reported improvement from baseline, but overall evidence quality was low.
• Sleep bruxism: a Cochrane review by Macedo et al. (2007, five trials) found insufficient evidence that occlusal splints treat sleep bruxism, though they may help against tooth wear.

The splint is a reversible protective measure, not a cure. Diagnosis and assessment of outcome rest with the dentist; we are responsible for fit, contacts and guidance as prescribed.

Review, adjustment and remakes

• Wearing schedule: Albagieh et al. note that patients are usually advised to wear the splint at night only; those who cannot control daytime habits may need it by day too. State the schedule and check the bite at each review.
• Adjustment: further occlusal adjustment may be needed at follow-up (Boulatar et al.). For a different opening or guidance scheme, record a new bite for a new splint.
• Remakes: when the splint is thin or cracked, or new restorations are placed, send fresh scans of both arches and a new bite (see the file formats we accept).
• Full-arch restorative cases: we can make the night guard from the same scan set, as in this full zirconia case for a bruxing patient.

International cases ship by DHL Express, typically 2–4 days; see turnaround and shipping.

Sources: Okeson JP, J Am Dent Assoc 1987;114(6):788–91; Albagieh H et al., Saudi Dent J 2023;35(1):70–79; Boulatar Y et al., Dent Med Probl 2026;63(2):509–516; Riley P et al., Br Dent J 2020;228(3):191–197; Macedo CR et al., Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2007, CD005514.