Articulator
Also called: dental articulator, virtual articulator
An articulator is a mechanical device that holds models of the upper and lower teeth in the position they meet in the mouth. A dental technician uses it to check how a restoration will bite against the opposing teeth. Software can do the same job on screen with a virtual articulator.
How it shows up between practice and lab
An articulator is only as good as the records behind it. The lab needs both arches and a bite record to mount the models the way the patient’s teeth meet.
When the bite record is missing or unclear, the technician has to guess how the teeth close, or stop and ask.
With scans, the bite is captured as a third scan and the software lines the arches up. The same rule holds: send both arches and the bite with the case.
Read more in digital impressions vs traditional impressions and what to include on a dental lab prescription.
Related terms
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