Abstract
The disease referred to as temporomandibular disorder that we encounter in clinical dentistry includes joint noises, pain in the joint, and disruption of joint movements during opening and closing of the mouth. However, the symptoms do not stop here, but may also include the associated muscle groups and autonomic nervous system, as well as nonspecific psychosomatic complaints. This is a disease that has chief complaints such as clicking, pain in the masseter muscles, discomfort, problems with opening and deviation of the mandible, feelings of fatigue in the head, neck, shoulders and back, and disruption of mandibular movement. Consequently, temporomandibular disorder patients may complain of symptoms associated with premature contacts in centric occlusion, cuspal interferences during lateral excursion, a decrease in the intermaxillary distance, and rapid changes in the vertical dimension of occlusion.
Recent treatments for temporomandibular disorder have included splint therapy, pharmacological treatments, and sometimes even surgical intervention. In addition, orthodontic and prosthetic treatments have been carried out as a technique for occlusal rehabilitation of the repositioned mandible after conservative treatment using a splint. However, because temporomandibular disorder is fundamentally a multifactorial disease, a treatment protocol has yet to be established.
I would like to report here the good results I obtained using the sliding plate, which is employed in the orthodontic treatment of some young patients for correcting and activating inappropriate muscle function associated with occlusion.
