Introduction: The fabrication of a stabilization (Michigan) appliance for edentulous patients suffering from temporomandibular disorders remains a challenge. This article describes a complete denture Michigan splint, where a maxillary removable denture and stabilization appliance was fabricated as one single piece.
Case presentation: A 76-year-old edentulous female presented for replacement of her insufficient 20-year-old removable complete dentures. The patient was also diagnosed with arthralgia of the right temporomandibular joint and myofascial pain in the right masseter muscle. First, a new set of dentures was made with an increased occlusal vertical dimension of 2 mm to compensate for the current reduced vertical height. In an attempt to manage the temporomandibular pain, a single-piece maxillary complete denture splint was manufactured through CAM milling of a polymethyl methacrylate block. The denture splint was worn at night during sleep instead of the maxillary complete denture. It was tolerated well, and the temporomandibular pain had vanished 3 months later.
Discussion: The complete denture Michigan appliance showed a perfect fit on the oral mucosa. Further advantages of this design were the avoidance of possible retention loss between a conventional splint and a complete denture, increased patient comfort, increased durability of the appliance, and reduced risk for systemic effects due to a lower residual monomer content. The presence of a digital data set allows for the making of a duplicate in an effective way if the denture splint is lost.
Conclusion: Edentulous patients suffering from temporomandibular pain may benefit from a maxillary complete denture Michigan splint as an alternative to a stabilization splint placed on a complete denture.