Occlusodontics: How to find contact points more easily

Abstract

Orthodontists usually locate contact points by using articulating paper whose thickness varies from 10 l to 300 l and is a kind of blotting paper with a soft, textured finish impregnated with a mixture of wax, oil, colorants and adhesive agents specially formulated with a sensitive coating to provide a sharp, clean mark on all surfaces. Thin plastic, metallic, or silk sheets can also carry these marking elements. Articulating paper is sold in pre-cut rectangular strips, rolls, sheets, and horseshoe shaped paper that dentists can place over entire arches without recourse to pliers. Some types of articulating papers contain progressive coloration that objectifies the intensity of contact forces by imprinting a nuanced depiction of the pressure received by varying the number of micro beads of ink that burst on a tooth’s surface.