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Opposing model

Also called: opposing arch, opposing cast, opposing scan

An opposing model is a copy of the teeth in the arch that bites against the one being restored. For a crown on a lower tooth, it is the model of the upper teeth. The lab uses it with the bite record to shape the new tooth so that it meets its partner correctly.

How it shows up between practice and lab

A case needs three records: the arch being restored, the opposing arch and the bite. The opposing arch is easy to leave out, because nothing is being made on it.

Without it, the technician cannot tell how tall or how wide the biting surface can be. The case waits, or the crown is made to a guess.

With a scanner, the opposing arch is a second scan in the same visit. A lab that checks for all three records on arrival can ask the same day.

Read more in incomplete prescriptions and how to send intraoral scans to a dental lab without losing files.

Updated