Prevention of trauma to edentulous ridge from opposing natural teeth

Abstract

Objective: To suggest a technique to prevent trauma of the edentulous ridge from opposing natural or restored teeth. Background: The prevalence of the condition where one edentulous arch opposes a natural or restored dentition is quite common. In most of cases, the maxillary arch is completely edentulous and either all teeth or only anterior teeth are present in the mandibular arch. These remaining teeth may continuously cause trauma to the opposing edentulous ridge during the night when a removable prosthesis is kept out of the mouth. Materials and methods: A thermoplastic acrylic resin mouthguard was fabricated on a cast of the remaining teeth dentition. Conclusion: This article presents a simple and inexpensive procedure to prevent self-induced trauma of the edentulous ridge from opposing natural teeth by using a thermoplastic acrylic resin mouthguard. © 2012 The Gerodontology Society and John Wiley & Sons A/S.