Why make study casts?
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Consider the pressures and forces we can generate with our teeth. Studies have shown that the bite on our back teeth can be hundreds of pounds. Some people can even bite through a pencil with their back teeth! (Think of the pressure required - don’t try it!!).

If the bottom teeth do not fit snugly against the top teeth, then it follows that the forces must be uneven. This can cause problems in some situations: for example, chipped, broken or painful teeth, chipped or broken fillings or crowns, tooth wear, loose teeth and, sometimes, even headaches or other jaw problems. 

And because teeth are connected to jaw joints, (the temporomandibular joints – TMJ), in order to really understand your bite, we need to examine them carefully too. And because the muscles have to work to allow you to chew and bite together, we examine these at the same time.

By making study casts of your teeth and placing them on a jaw simulator, (called an articulator), we can gain a 3D view of how your teeth fit together and the way your jaw works.