ABSTRACT
This article describes the use of three devices that replace the wax rims in the registration of the intermaxillary position and of the vertical dimension of occlusion in completely edentulous patients who have been treated with Brånemark implants. The devices consist of a mechanical "tooth" that can be adjusted in all three dimensions of space and of two plates that support the registration material. The mechanical tooth is connected to an abutment in the anterior region and a contact is established with a tooth in the opposite jaw at the vertical dimension in which the patient will be restored. This allows the operator to position the mandible in the centric relation in a condition of neuromuscular deprogramming and in the absence of posterior interferences. The two metal plates are then fixed to the posterior abutments, one on each side, and support the wax and zinc oxide eugenol paste used to register the intermaxillary position just established.
Subject(s)
Dental Implants , Dental Occlusion , Denture Design/instrumentation , Jaw Relation Record/instrumentation , Jaw, Edentulous/rehabilitation , Centric Relation , Dental Abutments , Dental Articulators , Humans , Incisor , Mandible/anatomy & histology , Vertical Dimension , Waxes , Zinc Oxide-Eugenol CementABSTRACT
The damping effect of five restorative materials used to veneer test crowns rigidly connected to a Brånemark implant and subjected to an impact force was measured. These materials included a gold alloy; a noble metal ceramic alloy; porcelain; a laboratory-processed, light-activated microfilled resin; and a heat- and pressure-polymerized poly(methyl methacrylate) resin. The two resins were found to reduce the impact force by about 50% when compared to porcelain or the alloys. The clinical significance of the results is discussed.
