An articulator is a mechanical device used in dentistry

Dentistry

Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...

 to which casts of the maxillary (upper) and mandibular (lower) teeth are fixed, reproducing recorded positions of the mandible in relation to the maxilla

Maxilla

The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...

. An articulator assists in the fabrication of removable prosthodontic appliances (dentures), fixed prosthodontic restorations (crowns, bridges, inlays and onlays) and orthodontic appliances.

Semi-adjustable articulator

An articulator which is adjustable in one or more, but not all of the following areas: condylar angle, Bennett side-shift, incisal and cuspid guidance, and shape of the glenoid fossae and eminintiae. By nature, this sort of articulator's use is only meaningful if the position of the maxillae are duplicated with respect to the skull. Normally this is achieved by the use of a face-bow.

Anatomical articulator

An articulator which attempts to reproduce normal mandibular movements during mastication

Mastication

Mastication or chewing is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion and it increases the surface area of foods to allow more efficient break down by enzymes. During the mastication process, the food is positioned between the teeth for grinding by...

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Adjustable articulator

An articulator that can be adjusted to accommodate the many movements and positions of the mandible in relation to the maxilla as recorded in the mouth.

Disposable articulators

Stone Base – An articulator system in which a model of the patient’s teeth for the maxilla and mandible are each mounted on a stone base with the use of dowel pins. The two are then brought together and articulated using a disposable articulator to act as the condyle. This requires having to make two pours. The first one is to get the model from the impression taken by the dentist. The other pour is for the stone base made from a rubber mold.

Single-Pour - The single-pour system eliminates the need for a stone base. When the impression is poured up, it is directly mounted on a plastic base or tray that already has a built-in condyle to form a complete articulator when the two halves are joined. By eliminating the need to pour up a stone base, the single-pour is a much faster system than the Stone Base system. There are varieties of single-pour systems that use dowel pins, and there are some that omit the need for dowel pins by creating the model completely out of die stone.

Dental articulator 1840-1912

In 1840 the first US patent for dental articulators were issued to two Philidelphia, Pa dentist: James Cameron, and Daniley T. Evens. One glaring weakness that became evident shortly after its release was its inability to manage mandibular movement. Through the 1850s and 60's dental scientist investigated the nature of mandibular movement. By the 1900s the single hinge dental articulators became commonplace. It wasn't until 1910 that dentistry had its first articulator breakthrough due to the work of scientist like W.E. Walker, Alfred Gysi and George Snow. From their work two major schools of articulators developed. On one side there was the new condylar (anatomic)movement and on the other side there was the geometric (non anatomic) movement. The debate between anatomic and non anatomic is demonstrated in this article for an articulator that boasted a simple design.

Modern day articulator

Through modern day plastics dental articulators like the Spin NEO offer strength and mandibular mobility. Stone enhancers and quick drying materials have dramatically increased the effectiveness of dental articulators. Plastics have the ability to mimic natural mandibular movement because of its strength.