Change of the occlusal plane
A change of the occlusal plane is indicated, when the habitual occlusion (muscular-guided interlocking) is not congruent with the centric jaw joint position. It is part of the functional therapy and is generally done when the occlusion was readapted with a splint that is predominantly worn at night. Most commonly this is done with a vertical height increase, which is most often necessary, when the vertical height has been reduced due to tooth grinding. With the modern adhesive systems it is possible to glue small ceramic puzzle pieces (shells) onto the uncut or only minimally prepared tooth to replace the lost dental hard tissue.