Bridging the Gap

Advance Team Dentist: Bridging the Gap - Optimizing Athletic Performance through Muscle Physiology
Thursday, June 11, 2026, from 9 am - 5 pm
CEs: 6

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Measuring Muscle Physiology in Sports Dentistry

There are hundreds of types of mouthguards or sports appliances out there. Every day a specialist wakes up one day and says “EUREKA”… a new mouthguard!

Which one do we select? Is it all about the design? Of course, the design is important.

“IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BITE!”

What if we can provide more than just a “GUARD”? What if we can incorporate the aspect of PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT into the mouthguard? Phonetic Bite? CR Bite? Muscle Facilitation Test Bite? Dynamic Decompression Bite? K7 Bite Nm Bite? Chan Bite? Anterior Jig Bite? There are no research papers yet to prove this, unfortunately.

A mouthguard that’s fabricated with the bite registration done on a “TENS-induced EMG-verified bilaterally-symmetric-isotonic-muscular-trajectory” is my go-to method as it’s evidence-based. This is how Neuromuscular Dentistry can help an athlete attain a balanced posture from head to toe. The team trainer or physiotherapist works on the posture of the athlete after the event only for the athlete to go back to the faulty posture the next day itself. This is because the importance of the maxillo-mandibular position is not given enough credence.

From something as small as a tongue-tie to checking cranial nerve functioning and confirming the sway and gait patterns; and making the necessary orthotic keeping all these in mind will help us create that perfect sports appliance for the athlete.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the importance of muscle tonicity while registering a bite.
• Know how to confirm the bite using Electromyography & Axiography.
• Understand how dentists can objectify the occlusal imbalances that can affect posture and hence affect performance.
• Understand the common errors in taking an athlete's physiological bite.
• Understand the importance of athletic testing of the physiological bite mouthguard or sporting oral appliance.
• Explain the neuromuscular model of occlusion and how mandibular position influences muscle recruitment, posture, and kinetic chain efficiency.
• Identify key anatomical and physiological connections between the masticatory system, cervical stabilizers, airway dynamics, and global muscle performance.
• Recognize signs of occlusal or muscular imbalance that may contribute to fatigue, asymmetry, or decreased power output in athletes.
• Evaluate the role of dental appliances (e.g., performance mouthguards, mandibular positioning devices) in modulating muscle activity and improving neuromuscular coordination.
• Integrate evidence‑based assessment tools — including EMG, jaw tracking, and postural analysis — into clinical decision‑making for athletes.
• Collaborate effectively with sports medicine teams to support injury prevention, recovery, and performance optimization.
• Examples of tools to measure the impact of neuromuscular dentistry in sports.
• Practical examples of neuromuscular appliances in athletes.

"If you can measure it is a fact. If you cannot measure it is an opinion"
About the Instructor
Dr. Raj Rav
Joining us in person from Dubai.
Connect on LinkedIn

• Bridging the Gap-Using NM principles to construct performance-enhancing mouthguards $420

• Bridging the Gap-Using NM principles to construct performance-enhancing mouthguards $720
• RDH, RDA, DA, Hygienist, Athletic Trainer, Sports Medicine Physicians, Lab Technician, Dental Auxiliary, etc. Bridging the Gap-Using NM principles to construct performance-enhancing mouthguards $299

• Bridging the Gap-Using NM principles to construct performance-enhancing mouthguards $299

• Thursday Workshops and Symposium - $420

SDI Matrix
Digital ecosystem for diagnostic and treatment planning

SDI Matrix is a digital ecosystem for functional dentistry, designed to support objective assessment of functional diagnostics, dynamic occlusion, and muscle activity. The system integrates Jaw Tracking, Myography (EMG) and TENS into one synchronized workflow, allowing clinicians to analyze mandibular movements, neuromuscular balance and occlusal dynamics in real time.

What distinguishes SDI Matrix is the interaction between these technologies - instead of isolated data, clinicians work with correlated measurements that provide a complete functional picture.

By supporting data-driven understanding of function, SDI Matrix helps clinicians make informed clinical decisions, optimize functional appliances, and deliver predictable outcomes.