Occlusion

 

 

Before the occlusion scan stage, check the following:

• Let the patient be seated in an upright position with the occlusal plane parallel to the floor.
  
  
• Check if both maxilla and mandible scan data has unnecessary soft tissues. If so, remove them using the trimming tools. Use the slider to turn the Smart Scan Filtering on when scanning to effectively scan with the soft tissue removed. The remaining soft tissue is automatically removed when scanning is paused.
  
  
  
• Check if there are holes in both maxilla and mandible scan data. If so, perform additional scans.
  
  
  
• Check and remove irregular noise or saliva from the occlusal surface.
  
  
  
• When scanning the occlusion, scan natural teeth that have not been prepped yet.
  Use Pre-Op data for occlusal scans and occlusion alignment.

 

Occlusal scan

1. Place the tip in middle of the deepest posterior area of the maxilla and the mandible.

• Scan areas that have neither a metal restoration nor a missing tooth are adequate for occlusal scanning. If the chosen area has distinctive shapes, it is advantageous for the occlusion process.
• When inserting the scanner tip into the patient's mouth, make sure to place the tip on the buccal space while the patient's mouth is open (figure 1) so that the scanner tip remains in the space between the buccal area and the cheek (figure 2).  If you insert the scanner tip when the patient's mouth is closed, the patient may feel discomfort or the scanner tip may cause damages to the gingiva (figure 3).

 

2. Start the occlusion scan using the rolling method: roll the tip up and down till you scan 3 to 4 teeth from the maxilla and the mandible respectively.

Acquire scan data from similar posterior teeth for both first and second occlusion.

 

3. If the system acquires 3D images sufficiently, the alignment procedure automatically begins.

• Depending on the scan area or a way to maneuver the scanner, the automatic alignment could sometimes be unsuccessful. In this case, it is required to perform the manual alignment by marking alignment points on the cusps or the area that is clear enough to be identified as different.
• The 3-point alignment method is needed when the 1-point alignment method is unsuccessful. Both methods are for the initial alignment of scan data. Regardless of the number of alignment points, there is no difference in terms of the accuracy if the initial alignment is successful.

 

4. The initial alignment is completed for occlusion.

• Through the automatic or manual alignment process, the maxilla and the mandible are put into the initial position for further alignment, the occlusal accuracy of which is not adequate for analysis.
• If you wish to check the occlusal status before the Complete stage, use Occlusion Analysis.

 

During the occlusion scan stage, check the following:

• We strongly recommend scanning both sides without pause, as the jaw joint relationship and bite strength may differ each time they open and close their mouth.
  
  
• Remove unnecessary soft tissue from scan data.
  If the occlusion is still inaccurate, remove unnecessary soft tissue as shown below.
  
  
  
• Avoid taking long continuous scans of the occlusion. This may lead to inaccurate occlusal alignment.
  Especially avoid taking long scans of just the anterior region.
  
  
  
• Scan thoroughly from different angles to gather data in between the teeth.
  We recommend scanning from various angles because it helps acquire scan data from the interdental space and improve overall occlusal alignment.
  

 

Occlusal data

(A) Through the automatic or manual alignment process, the maxilla and the mandible are put into the initial position for further alignment, the occlusal accuracy of which is not adequate. If you wish to check the occlusal status before the Complete stage, click Occlusion Analysis.

 

(B) The Occlusion Analysis feature performs the realignment process for the initially aligned maxilla and mandible scan data, and creates a quick result that is close to the final result.

 

(C) On the other hand, the Complete stage creates a fully processed result by performing various processes additionally: realignment, data merging, etc. You can check the final result in Medit Link.

 

To find the optimal occlusion, it is necessary to adjust the levels of occlusal alignment optimization, and as a result, the occlusal data of (B) and (C) will change.
(Settings > Post Processing > Optimize Occlusion Alignment)