25 - BASIC ASPECTS REGARDING THE CLASSIFICATION OF ARTICULATORS
Luca Martinelli Basic aspects regarding the classification of articulators Publication no. 25 - 27 June 2013 1. Articulators Articulators are mechanical devices that simulate the skeletal system, or rather simulate the movement of the temporomandibular joint (Fig. 1). Fig. 1 Each part of an articulator has a more or less conventional name. The terms utilized are shown in Fig. 2, which depicts an average value articulator, as this is the type most commonly used in laboratories. Fig. 2 *Notes: See publication no. 6 – Basic aspect regarding articulators 2. Historical notes The origins of the articulator date back to somewhere between 1750 and 1805. In 1756, in fact, German dentist Phillip Pfaff (Fig. 3) took the first wax impressions and cast the first models, which were indispensable for the articulator's existence. He is also credited with having invented the wax bite, although this cannot be unequivocally confirmed. The da...