Why is jaw tracking data so valuable?
The data produced through jaw tracking has three important roles. First, is to permit the dentist to study mandibular action dynamically by recording and replaying traces representative of the mandibular path of opening and closing. This can reveal, in a highly precise fashion, a number of anomalies otherwise difficult to discern. One example is a sudden slowdown of mandibular velocity, invisible to the eye but often an alert to a clicking joint. Second, the jaw tracking device records the relationship of the mandible to the skull with great precision, information useful in the diagnostic process, and in taking a neuromuscular bite registration. The third application of jaw tracking is to record and verify that patient’s closure to centric occlusion is on a neuromuscular (physiologic) trajectory.
