Bite Registration

A bite registration (also called an interocclusal record or bite record) is a record of the spatial relationship between the upper and lower dental arches. It captures how the patient’s jaws come together — the vertical dimension (how far apart the jaws are) and the centric relation or centric occlusion (the horizontal alignment).

Why Bite Registrations Matter

Without an accurate bite registration, the dental lab technician cannot mount the patient’s casts on an articulator in the correct relationship. An inaccurate bite leads to:

• High spots — The prosthetic contacts prematurely on one side, causing discomfort and requiring chair-side adjustment
• Poor occlusion — The teeth don’t mesh correctly during chewing, reducing function and potentially causing TMJ discomfort
• Uneven wear — Incorrect occlusal contacts accelerate wear on certain teeth
• Remakes — In severe cases, the entire prosthetic must be remade because the occlusal relationship is fundamentally wrong

Methods of Recording the Bite

Wax Rims

For edentulous (toothless) patients receiving full dentures, wax rims mounted on record bases are the standard method. The dentist adjusts the wax rim height and contour to establish the vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO) and marks the centric relation position.

Bite Registration Material

For dentate or partially dentate patients, a fast-setting registration material (polyvinyl siloxane, wax wafer, or polyether) is placed between the arched teeth. The patient closes into their habitual bite or is guided into centric relation, and the material captures the relationship.

Digital Bite Registration

Modern digital workflows can capture the bite relationship using intraoral scanners. The software aligns the upper and lower scans using the bite scan data.

Vertical Dimension of Occlusion (VDO)

The VDO is the measurement of facial height when the teeth are in contact. Setting the correct VDO is critical for full denture cases:

• Too much VDO — The patient looks strained, has difficulty closing their lips, and may experience clicking or muscle fatigue
• Too little VDO — The patient appears over-closed, with a collapsed facial profile and reduced lip support

The dentist establishes the VDO using physiological methods (resting face height minus freeway space), phonetic tests, or esthetic assessment.

Facebow Records

A facebow transfers the position of the upper cast relative to the patient’s temporomandibular joints. Combined with the bite registration, this allows the lab to mount both casts on a semi-adjustable articulator, simulating the patient’s jaw movements more accurately.

Including a facebow record with your bite registration improves the accuracy of the final prosthetic, particularly for complex cases.