What else happens at a full exam? What are impressions and why are they necessary?
2009-12-03 at 09:58 am adminIMPRESSIONS AND MODELS. To complete the exam, we take impressions of your upper and lower teeth and gums to create study models. These are 3-dimensional models that show us how your teeth work together. We will put these models on a tool called an articulator to correctly demonstrate how your teeth truly fit (or in some cases, do not fit) together. Simply taking the models and stacking the upper jaw casting over the lower one does not depict the actual interaction of the jaws (relationship between tooth positioning and joint function), so the articulator is necessary.
To find out your individual anatomical jaw position we use a measuring tool called a face-bow, which is a means of measuring how the teeth relate to the jaw joint (temporomandibular joint). When these measurements are incorporated into the articulator holding the upper and lower jaw models, the result is an accurate depiction of how your mouth functions. These diagnostic casts are a means to study flaws or problems, and communicate them to you, the patient. We also use these initial models as a reference if further work needs to be done.
All of these procedures are done very gently with the patient’s comfort and individual needs in mind.