The recovery of occlusal function after implantation of cobalt-chromium porcelain crowns and bridge is a key link in judging whether the restoration effect is ideal. This evaluation process involves multiple aspects, from capturing the patient's subjective feelings to the use of professional objective examinations. It is necessary to comprehensively consider multiple factors to fully and accurately understand the degree of recovery of occlusal function.
The patient's subjective feelings are an important starting point for evaluating the recovery of occlusal function. After implanting cobalt-chromium porcelain crowns and bridges, the patient's experience during daily eating can most directly reflect the state of occlusal function. Under normal circumstances, the patient should feel that the teeth are evenly stressed when biting, without obvious pain or soreness. If local tingling occurs during chewing, it may mean that there are early contact points in the crowns and bridges, that is, individual parts are stressed too early; if the bite is weak and chewing is laborious, it may be that the bite height is insufficient or the bite relationship is not adjusted in place. In addition, if the patient can speak and open his mouth naturally and smoothly without obstacles caused by denture discomfort, it also indicates that the occlusal function is in a good state of recovery. The doctor will ask the patient about these subjective feelings in detail and make a preliminary judgment on the recovery of the occlusal function.
The contact relationship of teeth is a key objective indicator for evaluating occlusal function. Doctors will use tools such as bite paper for examination, place the bite paper between the upper and lower teeth, and let the patient bite. After the bite paper is compressed, it will leave color marks on the surface of the teeth. By observing the distribution and depth of these marks, we can clearly understand the contact of the teeth. Under ideal occlusal conditions, the marks of the bite paper should be evenly distributed on the occlusal surface of the cobalt-chromium porcelain crown bridge and the adjacent natural teeth, and the marks should be of the same depth, which indicates that the occlusal force is evenly transmitted and there is no problem of excessive local force. If there are heavy marks or no marks in some parts, it means that there are high points of occlusion or poor occlusal contact, which requires further adjustment.
Evaluation of chewing efficiency is also an important aspect of judging the recovery of occlusal function. Good occlusal function should ensure that patients chew food normally and grind the food fully. Doctors can evaluate by letting patients chew specific foods and observing the chewing time, chewing times, and the final degree of crushing of the food. If the patient can chew the food into pieces with fewer chewing times within a reasonable time, and the food particles are fine, it means that the chewing efficiency is high and the bite function is well restored; on the contrary, if the patient still cannot chew the food into pieces after a long time of chewing, or there are problems such as food impaction and pain during chewing, it indicates that the bite function is defective and needs to be adjusted and optimized.
The state of the temporomandibular joint is closely related to the bite function and is also an important part of the evaluation. Normal bite function will not cause additional burden on the temporomandibular joint. The doctor will observe whether the patient has symptoms such as snapping, pain or limited movement in the temporomandibular joint during opening, closing and chewing. If the patient has pain in the temporomandibular joint area and joint snapping when opening the mouth after implanting the cobalt-chromium porcelain crown bridge, it may be due to the inharmonious bite relationship, resulting in abnormal joint force. In addition, the doctor will also check the tension of the muscles around the joint through palpation. If the muscles are too tense or tender, it also indicates that the bite function may affect the normal state of the temporomandibular joint, and the bite needs to be adjusted in time to avoid the occurrence and development of joint diseases.
Checking the mobility of teeth can also help evaluate the recovery of occlusal function. Under normal circumstances, teeth have slight physiological mobility when chewing, but if the teeth become abnormally loose after implantation of cobalt-chromium porcelain crowns and bridge, it may be caused by excessive bite force or unbalanced bite. The doctor will use tweezers and other tools to gently shake the teeth to feel the mobility of the teeth. If the mobility of the teeth increases significantly and exceeds the normal range, it will not only affect the occlusal function, but also may cause damage to the periodontal tissue. The occlusion needs to be finely adjusted to reduce the abnormal force on the teeth and promote the healthy recovery of the periodontal tissue. The patient's facial morphology and expression can also reflect the recovery of occlusal function to a certain extent. The appropriate occlusal relationship can maintain the normal vertical distance and fullness of the face. If the occlusal height of implantation of cobalt-chromium porcelain crowns and bridge is inappropriate, it may cause changes in the patient's facial morphology, such as the lower 1/3 of the face is too short or too long, and there is a sunken mouth or a protruding chin. At the same time, whether the patient's expression is natural and coordinated when smiling and talking is also a reference factor for evaluation. If the patient dares not open his mouth and smile normally due to occlusal discomfort, which affects the natural display of facial expressions, it means that the occlusal function has not yet recovered to the ideal state and needs further adjustment and optimization to achieve dual improvements in function and aesthetics.
Long-term follow-up observation is an indispensable part of the comprehensive evaluation of the recovery of occlusal function. The recovery of occlusal function is not achieved overnight. After a period of time after the implantation of cobalt-chromium porcelain crowns and bridges, the patient's oral tissue will gradually adapt to the denture, and the occlusal function will also change dynamically. The doctor will follow up with the patient regularly to observe the performance of the occlusal function at different stages, and promptly identify potential problems and deal with them. Through long-term follow-up evaluation, it is ensured that the occlusal function can continue to maintain a good state after the implantation of cobalt-chromium porcelain crowns and bridges, providing patients with a comfortable and healthy oral function experience.
