 If there is one clinical record that can dramatically improve communication between a dental practice and dental laboratory whilst taking less than two minutes to record, it is the stick bite. Yet despite its simplicity, it remains one of the most underused and misunderstood records in restorative dentistry. At Bremadent Dental Laboratory, we receive thousands of denture, implant, crown and bridge, and full arch rehabilitation cases every year. One thing we have noticed consistently is that many clinicians provide excellent impressions, accurate scans, detailed prescriptions, and beautiful photographs, but omit one of the most valuable records available for guiding anterior aesthetics and occlusal plane orientation. The stick bite. Ironically, some of the most expensive and complex cases we receive arrive without one. When this happens, the laboratory must rely on photographs, facial landmarks, experience, and clinical judgement to determine how the final smile should sit within the patient's face. When a stick bite is included, many of those assumptions disappear. The result is often greater predictability, improved communication, reduced chairside adjustments, and more confident smile design. This article explains exactly what a stick bite is, why it matters, how to take one correctly, when it should be used, and why many experienced clinicians consider it an essential record for full arch and aesthetic cases. What Is a Stick Bite?
One of the biggest misconceptions in dentistry is that a stick bite is simply another type of bite registration. In reality, a stick bite is not primarily an occlusal record. It is an aesthetic record. Its purpose is to help the laboratory understand how the teeth should be positioned within the patient's face. When we receive impressions, digital scans, models, or bite registrations, we can see the teeth and supporting anatomy. What we cannot always determine accurately is how those teeth relate to the patient's facial features. Patients judge their smile against their face, not against a model sitting on a laboratory bench. A stick bite helps transfer that facial information from the surgery to the laboratory. The stick acts as a horizontal reference that allows technicians to evaluate the relationship between the proposed incisal edges, occlusal plane, smile line, and facial landmarks. In simple terms, it helps us understand what "level" actually means for that individual patient. Why the Interpupillary Line Matters The key reference point used when recording a stick bite is the interpupillary line. This is the imaginary horizontal line running between the centres of the patient's pupils. For most patients, the interpupillary line provides one of the most reliable aesthetic references available. When a stick bite is positioned correctly, the stick should be parallel to the interpupillary line. This allows the laboratory to establish the correct horizontal orientation of the anterior teeth and occlusal plane. The goal is not simply to create teeth that are level on a model. The goal is to create teeth that appear level when viewed in the patient's face. The human eye is remarkably sensitive to small discrepancies. Patients may not be able to explain why something looks wrong, but they often recognise immediately when a smile appears slanted, canted, or uneven. A properly recorded stick bite helps prevent this. Why Every Full Arch Case Should Have a Stick Bite At Bremadent Dental Laboratory, one of the first things we check when receiving a full arch implant case, immediate denture case, complete denture case, or full mouth rehabilitation is whether a stick bite has been provided. The reason is simple. Full arch cases leave very little room for aesthetic error. A slight cant in a single crown may go unnoticed. A slight cant across twelve teeth becomes much more obvious. The larger the restoration, the more important the aesthetic plane becomes. Cases where we strongly recommend a stick bite include: • Complete dentures • Immediate dentures • Implant retained overdentures • Implant supported dentures • Full arch implant restorations • All-on-X cases • Full arch zirconia bridges • Hybrid prostheses • Full mouth rehabilitation • Full mouth reconstruction • Severe tooth wear cases • Smile makeover cases • Veneer cases involving changes to incisal edge position • Cases involving increased vertical dimension • Diagnostic wax-ups • Digital smile design cases • Patients with facial asymmetries • Cases involving occlusal plane correction Whenever aesthetics matter, a stick bite provides valuable information. The Hidden Benefit Most Dentists Don't Know About Most clinicians understand that a stick bite helps establish the correct smile orientation. What many don't realise is that it also serves as a verification tool. At Bremadent Dental Laboratory, we frequently receive: • Facebow transfers • Bite registrations • Digital scans • Impressions • Clinical photographs • Diagnostic records Many clinicians assume that once a facebow has been taken, the mounting must be correct. Unfortunately, like any clinical record, facebows can occasionally be affected by inaccuracies.
If the stick bite does not correspond with the facebow mounting, it immediately alerts us that something may require investigation before fabrication begins. This can prevent significant issues later in treatment. For this reason, we view the stick bite not only as an aesthetic record but also as a quality assurance tool. How to Take a Stick Bite Correctly The good news is that taking a stick bite is quick, simple, and highly effective. One of the most predictable methods is to use a known horizontal reference within the surgery. This could be: • A spirit-levelled piece of tape on a door • A level window frame • A calibrated wall reference • Any verified horizontal landmark The process is straightforward: • Position the patient standing upright in front of the horizontal reference. • Inject bite registration material onto the lower anterior teeth using a bite registration or PVS gun. • Ask the patient to close gently into the material. • Apply additional registration material over the labial third of the upper and lower anterior teeth. • Insert the stick into the unset material. • Align the stick with both the interpupillary line and your horizontal reference. • Stabilise the stick with additional bite registration material. • Take clear full-face photographs. • Remove the record and send it to the laboratory. The entire process usually takes less than two minutes. Why Photographs Are Essential A stick bite should never be sent without photographs. The photograph allows the laboratory to verify: • Interpupillary alignment • Smile orientation • Facial symmetry • Midline position • Lip support • Tooth display • Occlusal plane cant In many cases, the photograph becomes just as valuable as the physical record itself. A clear full-face image provides information that simply cannot be captured by models or scans alone. Why Digital Scanners Don't Replace Stick Bites Many clinicians assume that digital workflows eliminate the need for records such as stick bites. The reality is quite the opposite. Digital scanners are exceptional at capturing teeth. They are not designed to determine how those teeth relate to facial aesthetics. A scanner can provide an incredibly accurate digital model. However, it cannot always tell us whether the proposed smile is level with the patient's eyes. The stick bite bridges this gap by providing facially generated information rather than purely dental information. As dentistry becomes increasingly digital, facially driven records become even more important. The Most Common Mistakes We See After processing thousands of aesthetic and full arch cases, several common mistakes appear repeatedly. The most common mistake is not taking a stick bite at all. Other issues include: • Misalignment with the interpupillary line • Clinician viewing the patient from an angle • Distorted registration material • Poor quality photographs • Failure to include full-face images • Insufficient support for the stick • Incorrect patient posture during recording Fortunately, all of these issues are easily avoided once the purpose of the stick bite is understood. What Our Experience Shows After many years of manufacturing dentures, implant restorations, full arch rehabilitations, smile makeovers, and complex restorative cases, one observation continues to stand out. The most successful aesthetic outcomes occur when the laboratory receives more facially generated information.
A procedure that takes less than two minutes can dramatically improve communication between clinician and laboratory whilst helping to reduce chairside adjustments, remakes, and patient dissatisfaction. At Bremadent Dental Laboratory, we would much rather receive one stick bite too many than one too few. Because when it comes to full arch aesthetics, it is far easier to prevent a tilted smile than it is to explain one after the restoration has been fitted. If you are unsure whether a case would benefit from a stick bite, our team is always happy to help. We regularly assist dentists, implant clinicians, and dental teams with full arch restorations, dentures, implant bridges, and complex aesthetic cases, ensuring the laboratory receives the information needed to create predictable and patient-specific outcomes. We provide a trusted laboratory service delivering consistent quality, saving chairside time, and supporting predictable patient outcomes. Let's Talk: 📞: 0208 520 8528 📧: [email protected] 📍: 25A St James Street, London, E17 7PJ
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Private Dental Laboratory in London
 Kash Qureshi - Managing Director, Clinical Dental Technician
About the author:
Kash Qureshi is a Clinical Dental Technician (Denturist) in the U.K who oversees and quality controls over 3000+ fixed and removable prosthesis including implant cases from a clinical and technical aspect monthly at Bremadent Dental Laboratory & Swissedent Denture Clinic in London. www.swissedent.co.uk www.bremadent.co.uk [email protected] Categories
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