Chewing members

The Development of Nonanatomic Denture Occlusion: Part III

“…Since there was no anterior‐posterior lock‐up, these teeth could freely move into a protrusive position . Dr. Hardy wrote that these teeth were like Hall's Inverted Cusp Teeth except that the Non Lock Teeth had deep, efficient sluice‐ways to clear the masticated food . These teeth were designed to be cutters, not crushers or millers.…”

“…They were not designed for cutting. The central table was surrounded by a circular sluiceway, which, in turn, was surrounded by a flat marginal ridge (Fig ) . No references were found in the literature describing their use.…”

The Development of Nonanatomic Denture Occlusion – Part I

“…In 1922, Victor Sears read his controversial paper, “Chewing Members,” to the National Society of Denture Prosthetists. In that paper, he made his case for noninterfering, nonanatomic teeth.…”

“…He admitted that his “Chewing Members” were only prototypes, and that their occlusal form undoubtedly would look very different after additional research and development. He considered them a new direction and work in progress (Fig ) . These teeth were ground from posterior porcelain blocks rather than individual teeth.…”

“…Sears believed that if opposing teeth were free to glide over each other, free from interferences, denture bases would not tend to skid over the ridges and therefore would be more stable. Chewing Members ultimately were custom ground for each patient . Sears believed that as dentures “settled,” due to bone resorption and occlusal wear, they tended to move into a protrusive position.…”