Removable Prosthetics

"Take the Mystery out of Removable Prosthetics." 

Without the periodontal ligaments of their natural teeth, edentulous patients lack normal proprioception and cannot "feel" prematurities or imbalance of their dentures during function. When treating patients without periodontal ligaments, progressive dentists do not take the patient's word when determining first tooth contact and occlusal force balance. The T-Scan III obtains the actual occlusal contact time and force balance data you can rely on, not the edentulous patient's perception.

1. Centric Occlusion Recording - check for prematurities

Quite often a premature occlusal contact creates a "sore spot" on the alveolar ridge under the denture base.  Deflective occlusal contacts often result in shifting the denture base causing the flange to "dig into" the patient's edentulous ridge.

BEFORE	AFTER

2. MIP/Centric Occlusion Recording - check for unbalanced bite

Unequal force balance is a major cause of denture instability/rocking while edentulous patients are chewing and swallowing.  Uneven occlusal forces, for edentulous patients, result in unstable, "loose" dentures that often cause trauma to the alveolar ridges.  In some cases the cause of fractured denture bases is due to unbalanced, disproportionate occlusal forces.

BEFORE	AFTER

3. Occlusal Force over Time - check for irregularities

Uneven occlusion can cause a patient to have unequal bite forces that limit the consistency of their bite force.  Note how the black line is not a smooth, constant line. This indicates a fluctuating bite force characteristic of weak muscles; the patient is having difficulty "finding their bite".

BEFORE	AFTER

Pathological muscle conditions, lack of optimal muscle function; unevenness or a jagged black line is an indicator of tongue bracing, that is a symptom of a lack of optimal vertical dimension. 

Notice how before rehabilitation, the patient has difficulty holding their teeth together with consistent pressure.  Notice how after rehabilitation, the patient can hold consistent pressure throughout the ip/co recording.