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UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry will be closed Monday, Dec. 23, through Wednesday, Jan. 1, in observance of winter break.

The School of Dentistry will reopen Thursday, Jan. 2, and clinical operations resume Monday, Jan. 6. The Urgent Care Clinic will reopen by appointment only.

Aderer "Simulator" Articulator

Designed By:
Ernest R. Granger

Manufactured By:
J. Aderer, Inc., Long Island City, New York

Patent Date:
12/07/1971

US Patent:
3624906

Description:

Ernest Granger claimed that the outstanding feature of the Simulator is the rotating condyle path. According to Granger, the purpose of this mechanism is to not only reproduce the border movements, but all of the intermediate paths (lateral protrusives) that are actually used in function. This action is precisely controlled by unique type of Bennett guide and timing adjustment. The Simulator is also a “broken axis” articulator; that is, the axis shaft for each condyle bearing is individually adjustable.

The condylar mechanism is unique in that the condylar path is not only adjustable in protrusion, but rotates around a vertical axis. This is a freely movable Bennett guide. There are two controls of the limits of the Bennett movement. They are the Bennett cam, a curved adjustable strip on the medial wall to control the amount of Bennett angle and a timing screw to determine the amount of immediate side shift. The Simulator has a curved incisal pin and an adjustable incisal guide. The instrument is set with a Simulator Pantograph. The Simulator is considered a “fully adjustable” articulator.

 

Dr. Edgar N. Starcke's articles in the Journal of Prosthodontics have more information on the history of articulators.