Dentistry – the New Bite Registration Silicones

Updated on January 19, 2021

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Bite registration, in other words the exact replication of the occlusal plane between the arches, is of vital importance for the correct construction of a prosthesis.

In addition to the perfect impression, the complete reproduction of a bite is in fact indispensable.

The process is a quick one, which can be carried out in limited chair time, especially compared to the other prosthesis construction phases, which are decidedly longer and more arduous.

And yet it is a step that should not be underestimated, because it makes it possible to determine – in an ideally definitive way – the thickness on which the dental lab technician will work in the lab.

In the past, the most popular bite registration materials used were waxes, which have been and continue to be used widely in the practice for two reasons: they are cheap and easy to handle (simply heat them, give them the required shape and position them in the oral cavity).

And yet, while their easy to handle nature is an operating advantage, at the same time it may represent a critical factor in terms of dimensional stability.

The longer the construction times are, the more a wax bite registration risks undergoes thermal changes which could damage it irreparably or – worse still – alter it, giving the dental lab technician misleading information.

Casting and mounting models quickly would be a better solution to avoid such problems, but naturally, this may not always be possible.

Recently, alternative materials to wax have been placed on the market: we mean elastomer products, conceived specifically for bite registration.

Specifically, we mean addition silicones (polyvinyl siloxanes VPS), which are chemically similar to impression silicones, but differ from them in their setting times and in their plasticising and catalysing components, which determine the flexibility and workability of the polymer.

These silicones can not only be used in the construction of fixed and removable prostheses, but also in orthodontics and gnathology, with products devised for several applications, both standard and special.

In addition to the outstanding versatility and the almost imperceptible texture for the patient, these silicones stand out for their impeccable accuracy in bite registration. Specifically;

They are soft before setting, to allow the patient to find the desired bite easily, without any particular adjustments;
They offer volumetric stability and are hard as soon as they have set, making them easier to remove from the mouth;
They are easy to handle;