37
i
nto anterior centric relation and gently
guide the patient repeatingly in terminal
hinge closure to lightly tap the soft wax
to establish simultaneous contact of
several mandibular teeth on the wax.
The wax is removed from the mouth and
chilled in tap water. The number of
thicknesses of wax used should be the
minimum number to effect posterior dis-
clusion.
A small amount of denture adhesive
cream is applied to the wax occlusal
programmer in the area that adapts to
the lingual surfaces of the maxillary
anterior teeth (fig. 74) The occlusal pro-
grammer is repositioned in the mouth by
reindexing it to the maxillary teeth. The
occlusal programmer thus establishes a
predetermined stop to vertical closure
with the condyles in centric relation.
There is an absence of contacting
deflective inclines posteriorly as a result
of group functioning of teeth in the ante-
rior segment of the mouth where the
occluding pressures are the least. The
occlusal programmer reprograms mus-
cle function so as to eliminate resistance
to terminal hinge closure previously pro-
grammed by deflective contacts.The
dentist can now more easily manipulate
the mandible in terminal hinge closure to
obtain the centric relation checkbite
record.
Similar occlusal programmers can be
fabricated in eccentric positions to facil-
itate obtaining of eccentric checkbite
records.
Suitable checkbite recording media
such as Bosworth’s Superbite ( a rapid
and hard setting zinc oxide and eugenol
base material) is placed on the
mandibular posterior teeth and the
mandible is guided in terminal hinge clo-
sure until the anterior teeth make light
contact with the occlusal programmer.
Since it is undesirable to register deep
fissures, grooves and undercuts on
teeth and cavity preparations with the
checkbite record media, these areas are
blocked out by wiping Vaseline or soft
wax over the teeth with the index finger
before the zinc oxide and eugenol paste
material is used for checkbite registra-
tion. The checkbite record media is
allowed to harden without the patient
executing a biting pressure. Figure 75
illustrates an occlusal programmer and
checkbite records accomplished with a
hard fast setting zinc oxide and eugenol
(ZOE) base material.
If the patient brings the mandible mov-
ing muscles into function during the set-
ting of the record media, as may occur
during swallowing or bruxing, flexion of
the mandible or displacement of teeth
may occur which would result in an
inaccurate record. To insure that the
patient does not bring the muscles into
fig. 73
fig. 74
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