The History of Articulators: The Wonderful World of "Grinders," Part III.

This is the third article in a three-part series on the history of denture occlusal grinders. The first article reviewed the earliest attempts to "grind in" denture occlusion by hand manipulating simple articulators with special features to those more complex devices powered by hand cranks. The second article explored devices that were motor driven, either those with cast holders to grind the occlusion of processed dentures or those designed to utilize an articulator's condylar or incisal controls for that purpose. This article examines those articulators that have a rotary occlusal grinder as an essential feature. Additionally, this article reviews those grinding devices produced as attachments for popular contemporary articulators.