Night Guard/Splint SOP

1. Follow steps 1-6 in Model Designer SOP
2. Follow steps 1-6 in Virtual Articulation SOP
3. Navigate to the ‘BlockOut’ tab on the right side menu.
4. Before beginning the block out process, first you have to name your models.
   1. Select the upper model by left-clicking it, then go back to the right side menu and select ‘Name upper’. Repeat for the lower model by selecting it then choosing ‘Name lower’.
5. Next, select the model you want to work on, then select ‘Create Passive Model’ from the right side menu.
   1. Once selected you will notice you have the option to edit the offset value (the default is 0.2 mm)
   2. Once you are satisfied with the offset value, select ‘Apply Offset’, the ‘Finish Offset Model’.
6. Depending on the model you are working with, you will either scroll to the ‘BlockOut Upper’ or ‘BlockOut Lower’ sections of the right side menu. Both workflows are the same.
   1. Select ‘Survey Upper’ / ‘Survey Lower’ from the menu. This will automatically move your viewpoint above the model so that you may rotate it to find a suitable path of insertion. To rotate the model, it is best to use the rotation widget that appears on the screen.
   2. Once your model is in a suitable position, select ‘Mark Upper Undercuts’ / ‘Mark Lower Undercuts’ from the menu. This will make all undercuts appear yellow in the object viewer.
      1. You may need to select this button twice for undercuts to be shown.
   3. Next, select ‘Create Passive Model’ from the menu. You may adjust the offset value of the passive model at this stage. Once satisfied, select ‘Finish Passive Model’.
   4. Next, select ‘Adjust Dynamic Undercuts’ from the menu. Here you may sculpt over additional undercuts that you may feel the program has missed. Once satisfied, select ‘Apply Offset’.
   5. Lastly, select ‘Create Retentive Model’. You may adjust the offset value, then when satisfied select ‘Finish Retentive Model’.
7. Since we are making a splint/night guard, we only need the retentive model. Additionally, having all of the models loaded in the program can significantly reduce your PC’s performance.
   1. To delete the additional models, create a new window by dragging the upper right corner of the screen with your mouse, then select the editor type in the top left of that window and select ‘Outliner’ from the ‘Data’ section.
   2. Locate the offset and passive models in the outliner, right-click on them and select delete.
   3. You can drag the top right corner of the viewport window back across to close the outliner window.
8. Now that we have the retentive model, navigate to the ‘Splint’ tab of the right side menu.
9. Before beginning the splint design process, you must name your target model. This is done by selecting the model by left-clicking it in the viewport and selecting ‘Name Target Model’ from the menu.
   1. Note that at this stage, if working with the lower, you must link your retentive model to the animation by selecting ‘Link Selected to Animation’ at the top of the menu.
10. Next, position your cursor in a suitable position on the model by shift-right-clicking. Make sure that the model is selected, then select ‘Draw Layer Line’ from the menu.
    1. This process is identical to the arch cutting technique described in step four of the Model Designer SOP
    2. Once finished, select ‘Make Layer’ from the menu. If done correctly you should see the green baseplate layer over the top of the model where you drew the line.
       1. Now you may adjust the thickness of the splint. It is important to make sure that the value you enter is double the intended thickness, because half of the baseplate is submerged in the dental model.
    3. You’ll notice that the edges look a bit rough, so select ‘Smooth Layer’ from the menu to bring up the sculpt tool.
       1. You may use the eyedropper tool to select a part of the mesh you wish to mimic while smoothing. Then just mouse over the edges of the baseplate layer while left-clicking.
       2. Once finished, select ‘Exit’
    4. Next, you can adjust the voxel remesh size, however the default value should suffice for this particular appliance. Select ‘Finish Layer’ from the menu.
11. Next, you’ll want to unhide the lower model. This can be done by once again opening a new window as described in step 7a to bring up the outliner screen.
    1. In the outliner window, there is a filter dropdown menu. Unhide the filters and then look for the lower and toggle the button that looks like a screen.