This document defines and describes articulators, which are mechanical devices used to mount dental casts and simulate jaw movement. It discusses the functions of articulators, which include holding casts in a fixed relationship, simulating jaw movements like opening and closing, and fabricating dental restorations. The document also outlines the key requirements of articulators and different types, including hinge, mean-value, adjustable, and fully adjustable articulators. Articulators allow dentists to visualize a patient's occlusion, develop their occlusion outside of the mouth, and refine dental work without the patient present.

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ARTICULATORS
Dr. RAZAN AL-MGHAWICH

2. mechanical device that represents the TMJ and jaws, to
which maxillary and mandibular casts are fixed to it; in a way
to reproduce already recorded positions of the mandible in
relation to the maxilla, to simulate jaw movement.
DEFINITION

3. 1. To hold the maxillary and mandibular casts in a
determined fixed relationship
2. Mounting of dental casts for diagnosis treatment
planning and patient presentation
3. To simulate the jaw movement like opening and closing.
4. Fabrication of occlusal surfaces for dental restoration &
fixed prosthodontic restorations (crowns, bridges, inlays
and onlays)
5. Arrangement of artificial teeth for complete and
removable partial denture
6. orthodontic appliances.
7. To diagnose the state of occlusion in both the natural
and artificial dentition.
8. To plan the dental procedures based on the relationship
between opposing natural and artificial teeth
9. e.x. Evaluation of the possibility of balance occlusion.
10. To correct and modify complete restorations.
11. To arrange artificial teeth.
Functions:

4. Two Types of Requirements
a. Minimal requirements
b. Additional requirements

5. 1. It must be accurately maintain the correct horizontal and vertical relationship
of the patient’s casts.
2. The casts should be easily removable and attachable to the articulator without
loosing their correct horizontal and vertical relationship
3. The articulator should have an incisal guide pin with a positive stop, that is
adjustable and calibrated.
4. should be able to open and closed in a hinge like fashion.
5. should accept a face-bow transfer, utilizing an anterior reference point.
6. The construction should be accurate, rigid and of non corrosive material.
7. The moving parts should move freely without any friction.
8. The non moving parts should be of a rigid construction.
9. adequate distance between the upper and lower members.
10. should be stable on the laboratory bench and not too bulky and heavy
Minimal requirements

6.  condylar guides allowing right lateral, left lateral
movements
 Condylar guides to allow protrusive movement.
 The condylar guides should be adjustable in a
horizontal direction
 having provision for adjustment of Bennett
movement.
 adjustable in incisal and cuspid guidance
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT

7.  The incisal guide table is either a mechanical
table that can be adjusted in the sagittal and
frontal planes or a table that can be
customized with auto polymerizing resin or by
grinding.

8. 1. Properly mounted casts allow the operator to better visualize the
patients occlusion, especially from lingual view.
2. Patient cooperation is not a factor when using an articulator. once
appropriate interocclusal records are obtained from the patient.
3. reduces the chair time, patient appointment time.
4. The refinement of complete denture occlusion in the mouth is extremely
difficult because of shifting denture bases and resiliency of the
supporting tissue.
after obtaining Inter occlusal records ,complete denture occlusion
can be refined outside the mouth on an articulator
5. More procedures can be delegated to auxiliary personnel when utilizing
an articulator for development of patients occlusion.
6. The patients saliva, tongue, and cheeks are not factors when using an
articulator.
ADVANTAGES

9.  Metal, plastic articulators show errors in tooling,
(manufacturer).
 It doesn’t not exactly simulate the functional
movements of the mandible.
 Errors in jaw relation procedure are reproduced
as errors in the denture occlusion. Articulators
do not have any provision to indicate or correct
these errors.
LIMITATIONS

10. Several basis of classification of
articulator were proposed, some of
them are as follows.
A. Based on their function.
B. Based on theories of occlusion.
C. Based on the type of inter-occlusal
record been used.
D. Based on the adjustability of the
articulator.
CLASSIFICATION OF
ARTICULATORS

12.  The Disposable Articulator is a fast for
everyday use.
 easy separation of upper and lower models
allows access to your work. It can be used with
your current pinning system and vertex rubber
based molds.
Disposable Articulator

13. At the international prosthodontic workshop on
complete denture occlusion at the university of
Michigan in 1972, the articulators classified based on
instrument capability, intent, recording procedure and
record acceptance
Class I : Hinge Type
Class II : Arbitrary – type A, type B, type C
Class III : Average - type A, type B
Class Iv : Special - type A, type B
BASED ON FUNCTION

14.  These are simple capable of accepting a single registration.
 They give only opening and closing action
 Vertical motion may or may not be possible.
 Use in cases where a tentative jaw relation
is done.
Exp.
Plaster slab articulator: (Rrelator)
Hinge joint articulator – GARIOT (1805)
Barn door articulator
CLASS I : simple hinge articulator

15. These articulator permits horizontal and
vertical movements but they do not orient the
movement to TMJ a face-bow.
 TYPE A
 TYPE B
 TYPE C
CLASS II :Arbitrary articulators

16. Ex. Mean-Value articulator - GYSI
o They have two joints representing the TMJ, and they
permit eccentric motion
o These are fixed condylar path or mean value articulators:
It means the condylar path angle here is fixed at a certain
angle, which is the average value of population. It ranges
from 30°-40° from the horizontal
o The incisal guidance may be fixed to an average or may
be adjustable
o The upper cast can be mounted either by face bow
record or according to an average making use of the
Bonwill triangle.
Class II, type A:

17.  They can perform:
 1-Opening and closing.
 2-Protrusive movement at a fixed
horizontal condylar path angle.
Essential features of the mean value
articulator. A, Condylar guidance
mechanism; B, Upper bow; C, Incisal
guide pin; D, Incisal guide plate; E,
Lower bow.
The Gysi articulator. a, Upper bow; b, Lower bow; c,
Condylar hinge; d, Movable incisal table; e, Mdline
indicator;

18.  if three lines are drawn to join both condyles
and the tips of the lower central incisors, they
will form a triangle. On the average, it is an
equilateral triangle having 4 inch or nearly 10
cm sides.
Bonwills treiangle

19. TYPE B :-
Instruments in this class permit eccentric motion
based on arbitrary theory of motion and will not
accept a face-bow transfer.
Based on spheric theory of occlusion.
Ex. Monson’s articulator
Hall articulator
TYPE C :-
Instruments in this class permit eccentric
motion based on engraved records obtained from
the patient and will not accept a face-bow transfer
Ex.:- House’s articulator

20.  This class of articulators differs from the fixed
condylar path articulators in that they can
accept eccentric records that are used to adjust
the condylar guidance of the articulator.
 So the condylar path is not fixed but can be
adjusted
 Either semi-adjustable or fully adjustable
Class III :adjustable
articulators
Essential features of the
adjustable articulator. A,
Adjustable condylar
mechanism; B, Upper bow;
C. Incisal guide pin; D,
Adjustable incisal guide
plate; E, lower bow.

21. SEMI ADJUSTABLE A.
 Have adjustable horizontal condylar paths,
adjustable lateral condylar path adjustable
incisal guide table and adjustable inter
condylar distance.
 They don’t accept lateral records
They can accept the following records:
1. Face bow record to mount the upper cast.
2. Centric relation record to mount the lower cast.
3. Protrusive record, to adjust the articulator's horizontal guidance,
that correspond to the patient's horizontal condylar path inclination.
The lateral condylar guidance is adjusted according to the Hanau's
formula: L = H/8+12
L: The lateral condylar inclination, H: The horizontal condylar
inclination.
An example of this type is Hanau model H articulator.

22. FULLY ADJUSTABLE A.
 This type of articulators accept the following records:
 1. Face bow record to mount the upper cast.
 2. Centric relation record to mount the lower cast.
 3. Protrusive record, to adjust the articulator's horizontal condylar guidance
which corresponds to the patient's horizontal condylar path inclination.
 4. Right lateral record, to adjust the right lateral condylar guidance.
 5. Left lateral record, to adjust the left lateral condylar guidance.
House, Phillips, and Hanau ki-noscope are representative of this type of
articulators. Stuart Gnathoscope Simulator
Capable of being adjusted to follow the
mandibular movement in all direction.
They don't have a condylar guidance instead
they have receptacles

23. Another classification depends on the location of the
condyle whether in the upper or lower member of the
articulator. (Acron & non-Acron)
 An Acron articulator has condylar guidance
similar to that in the skull.
 In this type of articulator the condyles are
located on the lower member of the
articulator
 the condylar guidance is on the upper
member.
 In this manner the condyles move in a
relationship to their condylar guidance
similar to the way the natural condyle moves
in relation to the glenoid fossa.
 The name is derived from the first letters of the
expression articulator and condylar. (Arcon)

24. Non- Acron
 Articulators of this type
have the condyles on the
upper member of the
articulator
 and the condylar guidance
on the lower member.
 For complete denture

25.  These articulator permit horizontal and vertical motion and they do
accept face-bow transfer but these facility is limited.
 These instruments simulate condylar pathways by using average or
mechanical equivalents for the whole or part of the condylar
motion.
can be either Type A or Type B
TYPE A :-
a. They accept a face-bow transfer and a protrusive interocclusal
record.
Exp. Hanau H articulator- RUDOLPH HANAU (1923)
Hanau H2 articulator
Bergstrom articulator (ARCON)
CLASS III

26. TYPE B :-
Instrument in this class accept a face-bow
transfer, protrusive interocclusal records, and
some lateral interocclusal records.
e.x..Trubyte articulator - GYSI
Tripod articulator - STANSBERRY
Ney articulator - De Pietro (1960)
Hanau (130-21) - Richard Beu &
James Janik (1964)
Tele Dyne articulator - Richard Beu (1975)
Pandent articulator - Robert Lee

27. These articulator accept three dimensional dynamic registration.
They are capable of accurately reproducing the condylar pathway for each
patient.
TYPE A :-
Instruments in this class will accept three dimensional dynamic
registration and utilize a face-bow transfer.
The condylar pathways are formed by registration engraved by the
patient.
Exp. TMJ articulator – Kenneth Swanson
(1965)
TYPE B :-
Similar to type A; condylar pathway can be selectively angled and
customized, utilizing pantographic tracing.
e.x. Pantronic articulator – Dener (1982)
Gnathoscope - Charls Stuart
D 4A & D 5A - Niles Guichet
Simulator - Earnest Granger
CLASS IV

28. THEORIES OF ARTICULATORS
 Known as theory of
equilateral triangle.
 Allow lateral
movement & permit
movement in
horizontal plane.
A. Bonwill theory articulator – WG A Bonwill.

29.  Lower teeth move
over the surface of
the upper teeth as
over the surface of
a cone generating an
angle of 45 degree.
B. Conical theory articulator – R. E. HALL

30.  Lower teeth move over the surface of the
upper teeth as over a surface of sphere with a
diameter of 8 inches.
 The center was located in the region of
glabella.
C. Spherical theory articulator–G.S.MONSON

31. upper member – represent maxilla
lower member – represent mandible
condylar track
condylar element
vertical rod (incisal pin)
incisal guide table
BASIC COMPONENT OF
AN ARTICULATOR

32. Mean-Value Articulator
Hanau wide VUE articulator
Whip – mix articulator
Denar articulator
Panadent articulator
TMJ articulator
SOME COMMONALY USED
ARTICULATOR

33. Incisal guide table
A table which upper surface is concave.
Vertical Rod should rest on the center of the
incisal guide table during articulation.
Vertical Incisal rod
Helps to keep a fixed distance between the
upper & lower member at anterior end.
The pointed tip of vertical rod should rest on the
center of incisal guide during articulation.
The horizontal guide pin
Present at the mid point of vertical rod.
The midline of the incisal edge of the should
touch the tip of incisal pin during articulation.
It present the anterior reference point.

34. customized incisal guide table.
 The slope of the incisal guide table can be changed in
the antero-posterior direction & can lock in position with
a lock nut.
 During articulation it should be flat & the incisal pin
should be at in center.
 A pair of lateral wings is present around it.