Splints - Who sets the vertical?

Setting the vertical opening for splints is usually accomplished by the laboratory. When an office sends a bite registration that clearly exhibits MI (maximum intercuspation), casts are hand-held, articulated, and opened 3 millimeters using the Flexible Clearance Guide. Vertical distance is determined by placing the FCG between the 1st molars.

Many of our clients use another effective technique to set the vertical with the use of cotton rolls. This method helps them deliver trouble-free splints. During the first appointment, instruct the patient to bite into centric, in order to verify the midline and bite position. Then, place cotton rolls behind the cuspids, as shown, and instruct the patient to bite until feeling resistance. With the patient holding this position, express bite registration material distal to the cotton rolls. Remove the cotton rolls (optional), keep the posterior bite in place, and express material in the anterior. This tripodal bite will allow you to confirm the correct opening. On our work authorization, instruct us to “mount and restore” the case to your bite. View a step-by-step procedure on the splint-page of our website.