I never understood occlusion in dental college. I suspect at that time my teachers didn't either ! Occlusion was complicated and heavily influenced by the gnathologic movement. There was this impression created that the teeth occluded in a super super precise way. There was absolutely no leeway for teeth to occlude in any way other than the way in which the experts said they should. The amazing fact that one's teeth had not read the latest textbooks and were not familiar with gnathologic theories was lost on the thought leaders of the day.
The teeth on their part insisted on doing things in the most ungnathologic way. They refused to occlude the way they were expected too and often were way away from their ideal positions. This was termed malocclusion, was considered a pathology on par with suffering from cancer or some other deadly disease and believed to need immediate and urgent treatment. It was suggested that any teeth failing to follow the diktats of the ruling gnathologists should be coerced into their "ideal positions" by equilibration, full mouth occlusal rehabilitation (a euphemism for doing 28 crowns on the otherwise healthy patient ).
Thousands of patients who were otherwise perfectly healthy and comfortable with their teeth were thus equilibrated and restored into gnathologic perfection and bankruptcy. But at least they had perfectly occluding teeth !
Some foolish dentists innocently pointed out the strange fact the incidence of patients needing full mouth rehabilitation in a practice was directly related to whether the dentist was planning on buying an expensive new car or was planning an expensive renovation to his/her house or had booked an expensive round the world trip.
These observations by dentists who were obviously not "authorities" and didn't understand the first thing about occlusion were dismissed out of hand as "anecdotal" and not "evidence based".
It was obvious that these patients had perfect occlusions. It is self evident that anyone with a perfect occlusion is a perfectly happy , enlightened individual..........
The teeth on their part insisted on doing things in the most ungnathologic way. They refused to occlude the way they were expected too and often were way away from their ideal positions. This was termed malocclusion, was considered a pathology on par with suffering from cancer or some other deadly disease and believed to need immediate and urgent treatment. It was suggested that any teeth failing to follow the diktats of the ruling gnathologists should be coerced into their "ideal positions" by equilibration, full mouth occlusal rehabilitation (a euphemism for doing 28 crowns on the otherwise healthy patient ).
Thousands of patients who were otherwise perfectly healthy and comfortable with their teeth were thus equilibrated and restored into gnathologic perfection and bankruptcy. But at least they had perfectly occluding teeth !
Some foolish dentists innocently pointed out the strange fact the incidence of patients needing full mouth rehabilitation in a practice was directly related to whether the dentist was planning on buying an expensive new car or was planning an expensive renovation to his/her house or had booked an expensive round the world trip.
These observations by dentists who were obviously not "authorities" and didn't understand the first thing about occlusion were dismissed out of hand as "anecdotal" and not "evidence based".
It was obvious that these patients had perfect occlusions. It is self evident that anyone with a perfect occlusion is a perfectly happy , enlightened individual..........
