Dentists have been checking bites for a very long time.
If you have ever had a filling, crown, implant, or other restorative treatment, you probably remember biting onto a small piece of colored paper.
Then your dentist asked:
“Does that feel high?”
Both the paper and your answer provide useful information.
But today, technology can give us another perspective.
At Champions for Oral Health, one of the technologies we use is T-Scan digital occlusal analysis by Tekscan.
Instead of only showing us where teeth touch, T-Scan allows us to evaluate when those contacts occur and how the relative forces are distributed throughout the bite.
T-Scan is a computerized bite-analysis system.
The patient bites onto a thin electronic sensor connected to specialized software.
As the teeth come together, the system records the bite dynamically, allowing the dentist to review factors including:
The scan can also be played back so we can evaluate how the bite develops over time rather than viewing only a static mark.
That distinction is important.
Articulating paper is not obsolete.
We still use it.
It is a simple, valuable method for identifying where teeth contact.
But the size or appearance of a mark does not by itself provide timing or relative-force information.
Tekscan notes that paper identifies contact points, while T-Scan adds measurements of the timing and relative force of those contacts.
Think of it like watching a football play.
A photograph can show you where every player is standing.
A video tells you who moved first and what happened next.
T-Scan lets us look at the bite more like a video.
When you close your teeth together, the contacts occur over a sequence of time.
A particular tooth or restoration may contact earlier than the surrounding teeth.
Another area may carry a greater percentage of the relative biting force.
That information can become useful when a dentist is evaluating or adjusting the bite.
T-Scan allows the clinician to evaluate those events dynamically rather than simply looking at marks after the bite has already occurred.
Digital occlusal analysis can be particularly useful when we're working on dentistry where the bite is an important part of the final result.
That can include:
Crowns and bridges
Once a restoration is placed, we want it to work harmoniously with the surrounding teeth.
Dental implants
Implants behave differently from natural teeth, making thoughtful occlusal design particularly important. Tekscan specifically identifiesimplant dentistry as an application for evaluating the location, timing, and relative forces of contacts.
Veneers and cosmetic dentistry
Beautiful dentistry still has to function.
When we change the shape or position of teeth, understanding the bite becomes part of protecting the final result.
Invisalign and orthodontic treatment
Moving teeth changes where and how they contact. Tekscan specifically describes T-Scan as a tool for evaluating contacts during clear-aligner treatment.
Full-mouth rehabilitation
When many teeth are being restored simultaneously, the bite becomes a major part of treatment planning and finishing.
This may be one of my favorite parts.
Patients don't just have to take my word for it.
T-Scan displays the bite visually on the screen.
We can review where contacts occur, how the relative forces are distributed, and how the bite changes during the recording. Tekscan also highlights visualization as a patient-education benefit of the technology.
That changes the conversation from:
“Trust me, this tooth is hitting harder.”
to:
“Here—let's look at what your bite is doing.”
Athletes live in a world increasingly driven by measurement.
Training load.
Heart rate.
Sleep.
Recovery.
Movement.
Force production.
Dentistry should be careful not to make exaggerated claims about occlusion and athletic performance. A T-Scan cannot tell us whether balancing someone's bite will make them faster, stronger, or more explosive.
That isn't why I use it.
I am interested in T-Scan because athletes may place substantial forces on their teeth and restorations through biting, clenching, grinding, trauma, and sport-specific demands.
If I am rebuilding or protecting those teeth, additional information about the bite can be valuable.
It is another tool—not a magic performance device.
This is an important distinction.
T-Scan does not replace:
It adds another dataset.
And sometimes an additional piece of objective information can help us make a better-informed decision.
Dentistry continues to become increasingly digital.
We can digitally scan teeth, plan smiles, design restorations, evaluate bone with 3D imaging—and now evaluate aspects of the bite dynamically as well.
At Champions for Oral Health in Fairfax, Virginia, technology such as T-Scan allows us to combine what you feel with information we can measure.
Because sometimes the question isn't just:
“Does your bite feel okay?”
It's:
“What is actually happening when your teeth come together?”
If your bite feels different, you have recently completed significant restorative or orthodontic treatment, or you are planning crowns, implants, veneers, or full-mouth rehabilitation, digital bite analysis may provide useful additional information.
Contact Champions for Oral Health to schedule a comprehensive evaluation and find out whether T-Scan analysis may be appropriate for you.