In spite of the excitement and “hype” surrounding lingualized occlusion, it is important to realize this is not a new concept. Dr. Howard S. Payne first described the “lingualized” occlusion concept in 1941. This was later imitated or modified by many others including Drs. Albert Gerber and Earl Pound. The aim of the lingualized concept is to combine the advantages of the anatomical posterior setup with those of the monoplane setup.

The advantages of both the anatomical teeth, with their esthetics and chewing function, and the non-anatomical teeth are maintained, particularly in patients with severe alveolar bone resorption. Vertical forces are directed more centrally on the mandibular alveolar ridge, which gives more stability to the lower denture along with much greater chewing efficiency. This balanced occlusion is much easier to achieve with a “freedom of centric,” or “long centric,” as in fixed prosthetic terminology.

So, what’s new? Well in the early days—and yes, I was there—we had to modify teeth or switch molds to achieve this better form of occlusion. Today we have posterior teeth specifically made for achieving lingualized occlusion. I have used several brands of denture teeth; some are functionally correct but esthetically lacking.

Fortunately, there are posterior denture teeth that fulfill both the functional and esthetic demands of patients. Following is a demonstration of the use of VITA Lingoform posteriors from Vident (www.vident.com).


THE CASE IN PICTURES: SLIDESHOW
(Refer to slideshow for images)