January 25th, 2009 by admin

532 BRITISH DENTAL JOURNAL, VOLUME 189, NO. 10, NOVEMBER 25 2000
PRACTICE
prosthetics
. 1 — Surveying
The surveyor was first introduced to the dental profession in 1918.
This instrument, which is essentially a parallelometer, is one of the
cornerstones of effective RPD design and construction. The
surveyor allows a vertical arm to be brought into contact with the
teeth and ridges of the dental cast, thus identifying parallel surfaces
and points of maximum contour.
Ideally the clinician, rather than the dental technician, surveys the
study cast in preparation for designing an RPD. It is this design,
produced in the light of clinical knowledge and experience, which
guides decisions on pre-prosthetic treatment and which is ultimately
sent as a prescription to the dental technician, who constructs the
denture accordingly.
There are several different attachments that may be used with the
surveyor.
4 Surveying
This article describes the clinical objectives and
procedures for surveying a dental cast prior to
designing an RPD Read the rest of this entry »