Chew Test to Discover Functional Interference
I had a patient in a provisional on tooth #7, and he called to tell me he ate the crown. When he came in, I checked his occlusal marks in MIP, and there was a nice coupling with the opposing tooth. He was not hitting the tooth at all in protrusive, in right and left, and in crossover. He had not used floss and had not chewed on something sticky that would pull the provisional off. So, I put articulating paper between his teeth and used my iPhone to video him as he chewed like he was chewing food. What I discovered in the video is that he had a functional interference. He had broad strokes on the provisional whenever he was in his chew stroke.
I sent the video to the lab with the hope that the new information could be used to make a crown that would protect the tooth from breaking or becoming loose. This patient was adamant about not wanting orthodontics. I was able to show him why equilibrating his opposing tooth would be beneficial and he accepted equilibration.
Having run into this problem once, I am now checking for functional interferences with more patients by having them do “the chew test.”
Related Course
E2: Occlusal Appliances & Equilibration
DATE: June 22 2025 @ 8:00 am - June 26 2025 @ 2:30 pmLocation: The Pankey Institute
CE HOURS: 44
Dentist Tuition: $ 7400
Single Occupancy with Ensuite Private Bath (per night): $ 345
What if you had one tool that increased comprehensive case acceptance, managed patients with moderate to high functional risk, verified centric relation and treated signs and symptoms of TMD? Appliance…
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So not a lack of freedom in centric issue more of a functional issue. Interesting, Thanks