In these stressful times, many are smiling through clenched teeth. SprintRay has the perfect fix.
The Rise and Grind
There is no denying that we live in stressful times. Threats of viral infection, widespread economic uncertainty, and strict stay-at-home orders have complicated everyday life. Rising stress levels have left patients vulnerable to psychosomatic problems, and many are carrying around stress manifested as bruxism and TMD.
Elevated stress levels have a direct and well-established link to bruxism and TMD/TMJ. Last year saw significantly higher numbers of patients suffering from parafunctional symptoms than ever before. 70% of dentists have reported seeing an increase in tooth grinding and clenching amongst patients, and 60% reported an increase in the number of cracked and fractured teeth. It is becoming necessary to provide patients with accessible dental care tools to perfect and protect their smiles.
Both anecdotal accounts from dentists and research suggest that stress-related conditions, such as bruxism and TMD, have become more prevalent over the previous year.
Caused by excessive grinding and clenching, Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are disorders of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ), jaw muscles, and nerves associated with chronic orofacial pain.
Health impacts of TMD can be long-term. Depending on the severity of symptoms, patients suffering from TMD may complain from jaw soreness and discomfort, headaches, migraines, ringing in the ear, clicking of the jaw, grinding and clenching, and sensitive teeth. More severe cases of TMD can cause joint deterioration and arthritis of jaw joints.
A Simple Solution to a Complicated Problem
With stress levels on the rise, occlusal guards have become more necessary than ever. However, not everyone who needs them can access them. Studies show that while 9-13% of the general population suffer from TMD-related orofacial pain, only 4-7% seek treatment. Patients are putting off getting treated for bruxism and TMD, worsening their condition in the process.
This unwillingness to opt for occlusal guards may come down in large part to inaccessibility. While personalized occlusal guards are great for combating parafunctional habits, they are an expensive solution to a common problem.
The current widespread economic uncertainty makes it so that personalized occlusal guards are not a financially viable solution for most. Traditional methods of occlusal guard fabrication are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and inefficient. They take up multiple visits with long wait times in between. Making minor adjustments to finished splints is frustrating and burns up valuable chair time. The high cost of a traditionally-made occlusal guard may discourage patients from opting for one.
This makes it so that patients can afford dental care the least when they need it the most.
Enter #protectasmile
#protectasmile is a program intended to help dental professionals design, 3D print, and deliver affordable and customized occlusal guards for your patients – all in a manner that benefits your practice.
#protectasmile is the culmination of our efforts to help elevate dental practice while bolstering and protecting your patients. It represents the perfect way to start your journey into digital dentistry at a time when your patients need rapid, customized protection the most. A comprehensive bundle including a full 3D printing ecosystem and 30 free designs, #protectasmile helps you get the most out of digital dentistry, elevating your practice and providing your patients with inclusive dental care.
Profitable, Delegable, Easy
3D printed occlusal guards provide your patients with an easy, quick, economical solution to bruxism and TMD. Having an in-house 3D printing ecosystem reduces the need for labor, laboratory skills, and outsourcing. The 3D printing procedure itself is simple. With the typical print-time for an occlusal guard being less than 1 hour, it cuts production time by a huge margin.
The 3D printing procedure is fully delegable and gives complete walkaway freedom. The entire process can be handed over to assistants or carried out in between patient visits, enabling significant savings while helping to double up on efficiency.
SprintRay Cloud Design allows you to sidestep the design process completely. Enabling a completely seamless workflow, SprintRay Cloud Design provides you with a simple platform to manage, order, and print your occlusal guards. All it takes is a few simple clicks. You upload the .STL file from your scanner to Cloud Design, select your treatment, and wait for the print job to be delivered straight to your SprintRay 3D printer.
More than Just a Pretty Smile
The #protectasmile program is our initiative to help make occlusal guards more accessible and affordable at a time they are needed the most. By taking advantage of the many benefits of #protectasmile’, you will be able to begin your journey into digital dentistry while providing your patients with a timely and affordable solution to protecting their smiles.
With #protectasmile, you get more than just occlusal guards. The SprintRay 3D-printing ecosystem can print wax-ups, aligners, surgical guides, and even crowns and bridges, helping you elevate your practice, provide same-day dentistry, and wow your patients with cutting-edge technology.
Open up new pathways to patient care by investing in your practice. Learn more about #protectasmile here.