ANSWERS

What is canine guidance occlusion?

Canine guidance is an occlusal scheme where the upper and lower canines are the only teeth in contact during lateral excursive movement of the mandible. The posterior teeth disclude immediately, protecting molars and premolars from lateral shear forces.

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Why it works this way

The mechanics of canine-protected occlusion

In a canine-guided scheme, when the patient slides the jaw laterally, the upper and lower canine cusps engage and the posterior teeth separate within the first millimeter of movement. The canine is built for this job: longest root in the arch, densest periodontal proprioception, crown anatomy positioned to receive lateral load. Posner and Maness (Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, multiple reviews) document that canine-protected occlusion reduces EMG activity in the masseter and temporalis during parafunction compared to group function schemes.

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Is canine guidance always better than group function?

No. Canine guidance is the preferred scheme when the canines have sound roots and intact periodontal support, but it is not universally superior. Group function distributes lateral load across multiple posterior teeth, which is the defensible choice when a canine is worn, mobile, or periodontally compromised. The 1995 Okeson textbook on occlusion remains the standard reference: match the scheme to the biology of the case, not to a default preference.

How does Dani Dental handle occlusal scheme on full-arch implant cases?

On All-on-X and full-arch hybrid cases, Dani defaults to group function or bilateral balanced occlusion with shallow anterior guidance, because natural canine proprioception is absent on implant-supported prosthetics. The lab confirms the scheme with the prescribing clinician before the try-in stage. For cases where the prosthodontist has specific articulator records or a diagnostic wax-up, those records drive the build.

What anterior guidance angle should I specify on the prescription?

The typical range for canine guidance is 40 to 55 degrees of anterior guidance, measured against the horizontal reference plane. Steeper angles produce faster posterior disclusion but increase lateral load on the canine. Shallower angles reduce canine load but delay posterior separation. If no angle is specified, Dani's technicians build to the patient's existing condylar guidance as captured on the articulator records, which is the most patient-specific defensible choice.

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