Occlusal function. Beyond centric relation.

With the emphasis placed on esthetics today, anterior guidance has an important role in the development of a stable, anatomic, functional, and esthetic result. To develop a predictable and stable result requires a multidisciplinary approach to esthetics and function. The orthodontist is a major contributor in helping the restorative dentist achieve the anatomic and functional harmony that is needed for long-term stable function and esthetics. Harmony in function creates long-lasting smiles. In their continued quest for optimal results, and as members of their interdisciplinary teams, orthodontists should remind themselves of what Gottlieb wrote in 1986 in an editorial in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics: "There is a difference between a beautiful alignment of teeth and an alignment of beautiful teeth. The orthodontist's job is not complete until there is a beautiful alignment of beautiful teeth."