ANSWERS

What is a stick bite registration?

A stick bite is a horizontal and vertical reference recorded at the try-in or impression appointment using a bonded composite stick across the maxillary anterior teeth. The lab uses it to align the occlusal plane parallel to the interpupillary line and perpendicular to the facial midline, correcting cant in anterior...

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Why it works this way

Why the stick bite exists

The stick bite solves a specific problem: a mounted case on an articulator has no face. The technician knows the occlusion, but not how the occlusal plane sits relative to the patient's eyes, lip line, or facial midline. For posterior crown and bridge that does not matter. For anterior esthetic cases, full-arch hybrids, and any prosthetic where the central incisor edges show on smile, a 1-2 millimeter cant reads as obvious asymmetry. A 2019 Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry review on esthetic failure causes listed midline cant and occlusal plane cant among the top three patient-reported complaints on anterior rehabilitation.

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Do I need a stick bite if I'm sending a digital scan?

Yes, for anterior and full-arch cases. The intraoral scan captures the dentition and the bite, but it does not capture the facial reference: where the eyes sit, where the midline of the face falls, how the head is posturally oriented. The stick bite photo gives the technician that facial reference so the design software can orient the occlusal plane to the patient, not the scan body. Posterior single units do not need one.

What's the difference between a stick bite and a facebow?

A facebow records the relationship of the maxillary arch to the temporomandibular joints, which drives articulator mounting and excursive movements. A stick bite records the relationship of the occlusal plane to the patient's face: the eyes and the facial midline. They answer different questions. A facebow gets the case mounted correctly for function. A stick bite gets the case oriented correctly for esthetics. Anterior rehabilitation cases benefit from both.

Can I send a video instead of a still photo?

A short video helps, particularly for lip dynamics and smile line at rest versus animated. For the stick bite reference itself, a still photo taken full-face with the patient's head in natural posture is what the technician uses to set the plane in the design software. If you send video, also send a still frame from the moment the head is most neutrally posed. The Dani technician on your case will confirm what they need before mounting.

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