Occlusion and Deprogramming the mandible - Existing methods and the revolutionary Smylist® technique

The literature has multiple schools of thought regarding occlusion and the critical impact it has on the dentition. The occlusion is considered to be stable and fine if there are no associated dental complaints. In case the dentition shows damage and/or there is associated TMJ disorders and facial muscular pain, it is suggested that the occlusion should be corrected. The Smylist® philosophy explains how the impact of occlusion goes way beyond just the dentition and facial muscles. Conventionally major importance has been laid on the aspect of deprogramming of the mandible for the correction of occlusal related problems. All the suggested methods of deprogramming of the mandible are based on the relaxation of the mandible by disengaging the posterior teeth. The recommended technique is to fabricate an acrylic appliance known as a “deprogrammer” or an “occlusal splint” to be worn by the patient. This appliance has to be adjusted over a period of weeks or even months to slowly and gradually guide the mandible and train the muscles to move into a particular position. How the appliance can achieve this is quite questionable. In contrast, the Smylist® technique is a completely innovative and original method, which achieves this three dimensional “deprogramming” in a matter of minutes and achieves dramatic results in the patient instantaneously in a conscious manner. This article presents an overview of the conventional methods and a broad outline of the Smylist® method. Keywords: Smile design, Smylist®, Occlusion, G space, deprogramming, muscles, TMJ, mandible, gnatho manipulation, face analysis, parameters, negative cascade, condyle, palpation