Turn Every Occlusal Finding Into a Confident Clinical Decision Occlusion is taught in pieces across dental education, one register in the preclinical simulation laboratory, another in the prosthodontic clinic, a third wherever temporomandibular disorders come up, and most clinicians never see the pieces assembled into one working system. This reference treats functional occlusion as a single coherent discipline, building from the neuromuscular and mechanical foundations of mandibular function through the diagnostic methods that convert a subjective complaint into an objective finding, and into the restorative, prosthodontic, and rehabilitative decisions occlusal reasoning demands under real clinical pressure. Written for the general dentist, the prosthodontic resident and fellow, and the advanced-education resident, it answers the question every clinician actually asks at the point of care: what am I looking at, and what do I do next. Inside, This Reference Shows You How To Separate centric relation from maximum intercuspation, keeping a reconstructive case built to a reproducible reference position rather than an inaccurate bite registration Distinguish canine guidance from group function, with criteria for choosing and verifying the guidance scheme that protects a given patient's supporting structures Differentiate occlusal disease from temporomandibular disorder, using a branch-point framework that separates a true occlusal cause from a look-alike presentation Design and manage splint therapy, from classification and fabrication sequencing through the adjustment criteria for an appliance that feels off in its first week Sequence full-mouth rehabilitation, managing vertical dimension and case order from provisional verification through definitive restoration Apply selective equilibration correctly, guided by the narrowed, evidence-based indications that separate appropriate adjustment from historical overreach Extend occlusal reasoning across disciplines, coordinating decisions with orthodontics, periodontics, and the growing or special-needs patient Open The Occlusal Decision Pathway System before your next ambiguous bite complaint, the reasoning every occlusal decision in your practice depends on.
