Use of the tongue for recording centric relation for edentulous patients

Abstract

One of the most difficult tasks to accomplish in complete denture treatment is retruding the mandible to obtain the centric relation (CR) record.1-8 Difficulties arise from the lack of coordination in groups of opposing muscles when the patients are requested to close in the retruded position.2 Several methods have been described for assisting the edentulous patient to retrude their mandibles into CR.2,9 The tongue can be used to assist the edentulous patients to record CR.2,4,9-14 When the tip of the tongue is turned backward toward the soft palate, it exerts a muscular pull on the mandible in a backward direction to the desired position.