Dental occlusion has fascinated Dr. Supple throughout his 30 years in private practice. He is grateful to Dr. L. D. Pankey, to Dr. Janet Travell, and to Dr. R. V. Tucker for communicating their passion and expertise on the subject. Dr. Supple also acknowledges the determining influence of such reputable occlusionists as Peter Neff, Parker Mahon, Mark Piper, Peter Dawson, David Hornbrook, Gordon Christensen, Gerald Chiche, and Jeff Okerson.

• Would you like to know the difference between two ink marks on the same tooth?
• Have you ever wondered if saliva washed off or changed your articulating paper marks?
• Do you think that marks on gold, porcelain, ceramics, and natural teeth conduct force in the same way?
• If you decrease the load on any single tooth, where do you place the extra force?
• Do you think an abfraction is a phenomenon created by a toothbrush?
• Do you think that TM joints are an important health factor in occlusion?

You get the idea. Occlusion is still a science in the making. The empowering questions await you, if you empower yourself!

Occlusion, or the process of coming together in the stomatognathic system, can be compared to a multidimensional anatomy puzzle with interlocking pieces that should fit perfectly but do not always.

Dynamically measuring the force exerted on contacting surfaces is part of the strategy that will help solve any occlusal puzzle.

Occlusion is the study of the relationship between the maxillary and mandibular arches. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, the reality is that occlusion is often confusion and, more often than not, dentists are left to reinvent the wheel, using a trial and error approach based on their own clinical experience.

During the course of a University of Florida project which lasted from August 1974 to April 1985, doctors Charles Gibbs and Harry Lundeen developed a gnathic replicator which offered possible ways of measuring human chewing movements and of recording data for future interpretation. Their measuring system simultaneously recorded force, integrated EMG activity and vertical displacement of the mandible while chewing foods of varying consistencies.