Designing CEREC Restorations Unopposed...Ozer Technique
One challenge we restorative dentists often face is how to create an ideal occlusal scheme when we are restoring an arch opposed by multiple missing teeth. A laboratory technician working on solid models can wax up the ideal plane and create the crown (or crowns) within the arch. In the digital world of CEREC this can be more of a challenge. If the case is well planned, we would have a diagnostic wax up available to us to utilize Biogeneric Copy. In reality, we are often faced with having to restore these cases on the fly. If we use our standard Biogeneric Individual design mode in an unopposed situation, the software will attempt to “find” the opposing tooth and will propose a very large and long crown. An easy and unique solution for restoring teeth that is not in occlusion was first proposed by cerecdoctors.com Mentor Dr. Steven Ozer. The sequence is as follows.
In the Administrative screen select the teeth you are going to restore as well as the missing opposing teeth as crowns – Biogeneric Individual. Prepare the tooth/teeth properly and image the prepared quadrant. Next, image the opposing arch taking care to capture the edentulous spaces. Move forward as usual utilizing the Buccal Bite to articulate the models. The virtual models are proposed. Draw the margins of the teeth that were prepared. When the time comes to marginate the missing teeth in the opposing arch, draw circular pontic spaces on the ridge where the tooth or teeth are missing. Now propose all teeth at the same time and the software will propose an idealized occlusal planned for your crowns. With very little work with the tools, you will intuitively and visually be able to set the proper plane of occlusion and design your restorations.
I personally like simply imaging the arch I'm working on and not doing an opposing or a buccal bite so that my proposal is simply lined up with the marginal ridges of the arch I'm restoring. It is much quicker to design and the proposals are really quite good. In the instance you showed, it probably benefited you since the occlusal scheme wasn't quite as cut and dry as others, but I love that there are different ways to tackle the same situation! Great article!
If you dont do the Ozer technique, then use the unadapted recalculation tool to get your proposals correct.
