The Value of Stick Bites

The stick “bite” is a quick and easy reference for your ceramist. It’s not really a bite registration; rather, it is a useful tool for the technician to have a visual reference to the esthetic plane or incisal edge position of the upper centrals.

To record this position, dry the lower anteriors and inject rigid bite-registration paste from canine to canine. While the paste is still soft, take the stick from a cotton swab or a composite brush handle and roll it into the paste.

Level the stick with the horizon or with the patient against a known level horizontal plane. At Spear, we’ve placed painter’s masking tape on a wall, using a level so that we know it’s level to the horizon. You may also wish to use the horizontal slats from blinds (assuming they were leveled when they were installed).

Do not have the patient bite into the paste! The purpose is to give the ceramist a registration that can be placed over the lower anteriors that creates a reference for the upper anterior incisal edges.

The process takes about 60 seconds and your technician will love you for it.