An analysis of articulators

There are situations that do not demand absolute precision and duplication of all pathways. One example is complete denture construction. Denture base movement and tissue resiliency cannot registered accurately. Corrections for these conditions must be made directly. Instruments that use mechanical equivalents and/or accept positional registrations are suitable for this procedure. Instruments used for teaching purposes such as waxing exercises need not be capable of duplicating eccentric pathways. These instruments should be capable of demonstrating alterations of Bennett movement (immediate and progressive side shift) and protrusive inclinations. It would be most convenient and practical for dental schools to use the same instruments for complete dentures and occlusion courses. Static positional instruments are ideal for use in crown and bridge and operative departments, and in the treatment of patients in whom centric occlusion is to be preserved. Instruments that are fully adjustable for eccentric registrations are useful for demonstration purposes, postdoctoral teaching, and for patients requiring extensive reconstruction.