Chew-in technique

Among the techniques favored for providing a harmonious occlusion in a denture which occludes with
natural teeth is that of using a “chew-in.”. although this procedure is more suited to fixed and
removable partial denture construction (where the remaining natural teeth provide relatively rigid
support during the chew-in procedure), it is also considered useful for a single complete denture if the
edentulous ridge is solid, the denture stable and well retained, and the type of wax used relatively soft.
It is, of course, used after the appropriate occlusal adjustments have been made.

For the chew-in procedure, the natural teeth are closed into occlusion on a softened wax rim on the
opposing denture base: this provides an identation which represents the anatomical form of natural
teeth. Lateral and protrusive chewing type movements are then made so that the wax is abraded or
reshaped to represent the functional paths of movement of the cusps in all excursive movement. This is
continued until all eccentric movements have been recorded and the correct vertical dimension
established.

The denture base with the wax rim is returned to the articulator. At this stage a simple hinge instrument
is all that is necessary since lateral movements have already been recorded in the wax and will therefor
not need to be made on the instrument. A stone cast is poured against the occlusal surface of the wax,
and without separating them, both are mounted on the articulator. On separation, the stone model
provides a reproduction of the natural occlusion, not just in its common anatomical form but in the form
of a composite of all the pathways of movement through which each cusp moved in every excursion.
The value of such a fuctionally generated model is that when artificial teeth are set in occlusion with it,
they will fit the theeth in the cast atraumatically as excursive movements are made. However, there is
one hazard. Care mut be taken to identify accurately the tips of the cusps of the natural teeth and then
make sure that these make contact in centric occlusion with the fossae of the artificial teeth. Failure to
do this may result in an absence of a a definite series of even occlusal contacts in cetric occlusion,
because the artificial teeth will have been set in occlusion with lateral positions only.