3D rendering of a full mouth on a black background

Changing a patient's occlusion can be unpredictable, but dentists can treat these often-complex cases with greater precision with what we now know about muscles, joints and airway.

New perspectives in occlusion bring a different level of comprehension to this challenging subject. In a new Spear Online course, Dr. Jim McKee discusses redefining occlusion to make malocclusions and pain issues clear, by including not only how the teeth fit together, but also how the joints fit together.

Dr. McKee’s “A New Perspective on Occlusion” highlights force distribution at the tooth and joint levels, three main clinical signs of mechanical overload and pain sources.

Three-dimensional imaging using MRI and CBCT provides direct visualization of the masticatory system allowing restorative clinicians and specialists to better understand occlusal risk factors and articulate the prognosis for successful treatment to patients.

This course will leave Spear Online members more confident in their ability to:

  • Redefine occlusion to increase understanding of malocclusions and pain
  • Describe how the TMJ impacts occlusion
  • Recognize the occlusal overload at the tooth and joint level

“A New Perspective on Occlusion” includes six lessons:

  • Force Distribution at the Tooth Level
  • Force Distribution at the Joint Level
  • The Four Stages of TM Joints
  • Three Main Clinical Presentations of TM Joints
  • The Connection Between the TM Joint and Occlusion
  • Pain: Why Some Patients Have It

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