Every patient has a rest vertical dimension. It is not a function of teeth, but of muscles and nerves. We are going to use a simple method to quickly get you to the correct vertical or very close to it. Put some tape (at least an inch) on the nose and another piece on the chin. Put a mark on each piece of tape. Insert the maxillary recording base and occlusion rim, adjusting it to support the lips, parallel to the pupils, and perhaps a millimeter below the relaxed lip. (Do not put in the mandibular recording base.)

Have the patient say "M" (the lips are gently touching) and measure the distance between the marks. Do your measuring more than once. Consider this arbitrary number the rest vertical dimension.

©1999 by Julius Rosen, D.D.S.