How do labs handle occlusion?

Labs establish occlusion from three inputs: the bite record you send, the articulator (mechanical or virtual) used to mount the case, and the technician's interpretation of your prescription. Mechanical articulators like the Whip-Mix or Panadent accept face-bow transfers and allow semi-adjustable programming. Virtual articulators in CAD software replicate those parameters digitally. Neither system produces accurate results if the bite record is distorted or the prescription is missing vertical dimension targets.

For single-unit crown-and-bridge cases, most labs rely on your opposing model and bite registration to refine occlusal contacts in the wax-up or CAD design before the restoration is milled or pressed. A technician who works the case from design through finish can catch discrepancies, a step that gets skipped when CAD design and milling happen at separate facilities. That handoff gap is a common source of high contacts on delivery.

Full-arch implant cases, including All-on-X, require closer collaboration. Vertical dimension, anterior guidance angle, and excursive contacts all need explicit documentation, ideally with a verified centric relation record and an intraoral scan of the opposing arch. Dani Dental's technicians accept cases via intraoral scan or traditional impressions and will request a planning call when the bite record is ambiguous rather than guessing and shipping. That single step typically prevents the majority of remakes tied to occlusal error on complex cases.