Bruxism, worn dentition, bite re-elevation — additive, no grinding
If years of grinding or clenching have flattened your teeth over time — the force during nocturnal grinding reaches up to 800 newtons, far more than during normal chewing — we rebuild them additively with Scan ’n’ Smile. Digitally planned, without grinding, in two layers like the natural tooth. You see your new smile on-screen and try it directly in your mouth (Test Drive) — you feel the restored bite height before we treat definitively.
Bruxism is the unconscious grinding or clenching of the teeth — usually at night, often stress-related, often unnoticed for years. The consequence: abrasions all the way to a worn dentition — front teeth become shorter and flatter, bite height drops, the jaw musculature and joint become overloaded. Symptoms: recurring headaches and temple pain, clicking in the jaw joint, a smile that has become "shorter" in the mirror over the years.
At Scan ’n’ Smile we combine four building blocks that are rarely found together under one roof: digital on-screen preview, Test Drive of the planned shape directly in your mouth, additive rebuilding without grinding in the Two-Layer Technique, and the functional perspective through Dr Sebastian Zwinge's TMD focus. Methodological foundation: 3-Step Technique (Vailati & Belser) — preview and Test Drive, build-up of the posterior teeth with bite re-elevation, anterior teeth. An individually fabricated night guard is part of every treatment with us. Bruxism often shows itself first through typical traces on the enamel — we detect it during the examination, long before you yourself notice any sounds or pain.
Your smile is not just aesthetics. It is the first gesture with which you meet people. It decides how open you appear in a photo, how confident you sit in a job interview, how naturally you get close to someone.
If your bite has slowly dropped in recent years, your front teeth have become shorter, or you push past your jaw joint when yawning — then something important has just changed without you consciously noticing. Bruxism works quietly, often for years.
The good news: we can give that back to you. Not by grinding. Not with expensive crowns. But through a concept that respects and adds to your own substance — Scan ’n’ Smile.
Imagine for a moment what it would feel like — to laugh openly in the next family photo, without half-covering your mouth. With a bite that does not constantly tense up. With front teeth that once again have the length they originally had.
The right time is now — while there is still enough of your own substance left. If you wait until the substance loss becomes structural (pulp involvement, fractured cusps, exposed dentin core), the additive build-up turns into a root canal treatment, a crown, in extreme cases an implant — and your own substance is irretrievably gone.
If you recognise yourself in two or more points: let us talk. In a free initial consultation we clarify whether a rebuild is right for you.Book online appointment
With our AI tool you can use a photo of your front teeth to make visible how much substance has already been lost and how your proportions compare with the golden ratio — as additional information before the initial consultation.
Note: The image is an aid and serves your information. A detailed clinical analysis cannot be replaced by the tool.
Around 25% of all sleep apnoea patients also have sleep bruxism — the nocturnal breathing pauses and the grinding are often two symptoms of the same problem. If your partner has alerted you to snoring or breathing pauses, you suffer from daytime sleepiness, or you wake up with a dry mouth, a combined assessment is worthwhile.
Dr Daniela Zwinge is a certified practitioner of dental sleep medicine (advanced training with the German Society of Dental Sleep Medicine / DGZS) — when sleep-related breathing disorders are suspected, we do not stop at an early-warning system; we continue the dental sleep medicine treatment in-house (mandibular advancement device, sleep-medical splint adjustment, treatment monitoring). We have close contact with sleep laboratories in and around Munich — referral for somnological diagnosis runs directly from our practice, and after the sleep-medical work-up is completed, we provide the dental therapy ourselves on request.
We recognise typical signs from abrasion + enlarged jaw musculature + scalloped tongue edges and consider your masticatory system as a whole — together with the TMD focus of Dr Sebastian Zwinge. The somnological diagnosis is made by the sleep laboratory; we provide the dental sleep medicine therapy.
For worn teeth there are two paths: the classical one — crowns, for which we grind down intact tooth substance to make room for ceramic crowns. Or our path: Scan ’n’ Smile — additive, adding substance instead of taking it away.
Scan ’n’ Smile combines four steps: digital scan with on-screen preview → Test Drive of the planned shape directly in your mouth → definitive build-up in our Two-Layer Technique with bite re-elevation where needed → individually fitted night guard as protection for the definitive restoration. Methodological foundation: 3-Step Technique after Vailati & Belser (University Dental Medicine Geneva, established 2005).
Scan ’n’ Smile starts with a digital scan of your teeth — accurate to the micrometre, with our Trios 4 by 3Shape. Using SmileCloud and 3Shape Smile Design we digitally design your future tooth shape — based on facial proportions, function and lip position. You see the result as an on-screen preview before we do anything to the tooth. Then the Test Drive — provisionally, you feel the restored bite height. Only when you agree do we proceed.
This is where function is restored: we apply composite additively, layer by layer, onto the chewing surfaces of the posterior teeth so that the original bite height is restored (bite re-elevation). We work quadrant by quadrant — one session per quadrant. Dr Sebastian Zwinge supervises the occlusion and TMD aspects: every layering is checked in jaw movement, not only in static position.
The front teeth get their lost shape back — in the Two-Layer Technique: Ivoclar Tetric on the inside, Ivoclar IPS Empress Direct on the outside with a pronounced chameleon effect. This is how we hit the light dynamics of the natural tooth, instead of placing a flat layer on top.
Bruxism does not stop with the treatment — it has to be controlled. The night guard is a mandatory part of our Scan ’n’ Smile concept in bruxism, because it protects the definitive restoration. A recent long-term study shows: with a night guard, adhesively restored bruxism restorations survive at 89.1% at 7 years — without a guard, only at 63.9% (MDPI Diagnostics 13(6):259, 2024).
Dr Sebastian Zwinge (TMD focus) and Dr Daniela Zwinge (dental sleep medicine / DGZS) look after this indication together.
Scan ’n’ Smile with composite is our fast, additive, enamel-friendly and repairable variant — very good for moderate to medium bruxism. In strong parafunctional load, full reconstruction with bite re-elevation, or when maximum longevity matters more to you, ceramic is often the higher-quality choice — as an onlay/overlay, not as a full crown.
Hybrid restoration — composite on the front teeth, ceramic on the posterior teeth for the definitive bite re-elevation. The night guard remains a mandatory part in both cases.
In long-term studies of adhesively restored bruxism patients, a restoration survival rate of 89.1% at 7 years is shown — when the patient wears a night guard at night. Without a guard, this rate drops to 63.9%. The additive 3-Step Technique after Vailati & Belser has been established in university dental medicine since 2005.
In Germany, Prof. Dr Daniel Edelhoff (LMU Munich) is one of the central voices for minimally invasive adhesive restorations — his clinical concept for the reconstruction of the vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO) in generalised loss of hard tissue is the standard for exactly the indication we implement here.
Güth JF, Zuch T, Zwinge S, Engels J, Stimmelmayr M, Edelhoff D: Optical properties of manually and CAD/CAM-fabricated polymers. Dental Materials Journal 2013; 32(6): 865–871. PMID 24240888.
Methodological foundation of the Two-Layer Technique: Bazos & Magne 2011, Eur J Esthet Dent, PMID 21403924.
Night guard listed separately in the treatment and cost plan (€450–€700). Private service — binding treatment and cost plan after clinical assessment in the free initial consultation.
The earlier we treat, the less we have to treat. As long as your substance loss can be balanced additively, we build up with composite — one session per quadrant, no grinding, fully repairable.
Free initial consultation · On-screen preview + Test Drive in advance · Transparent treatment and cost plan · Individual night guard as an integral part · Referral to DGZS / sleep medicine on request
zwinge zwinge zahnmedizin
Gewerbestr. 17 · 82064 Straßlach-Dingharting · southern Munich
Reflux, heartburn, bulimia recovery — additive therapy without grinding.
To the treatment →Smoothies, sports drinks, apple cider vinegar — same philosophy, different tone.
To the treatment →Sport, accident, trauma — immediate help within 24 hours.
To the treatment →Position is right, shape is not yet?
To the treatment →When sensible, when not.
To the treatment →Do you enjoy designing alongside us, think additively and look forward to visible results? Become part of our team in Straßlach-Dingharting.
Apply now → zwinge-zahnmedizin-karriere.de