Occlusion & TMD Exam 1 Practice

In Dawson bimanual manipulation the goal is to guide the mandible into a stable, reproducible centric relation with light, controlled pressure, avoiding backward displacement. Pushing the mandible posteriorly is a common error because it drives the condyles toward the back of the fossa, compressing posterior tissues and causing muscle guarding. This leads to an misrepresented, non-reproducible jaw position and unreliable bite registration. Gentle open-close hinge movements are part of proper technique to maintain muscle relaxation and smooth guidance. Allowing the patient to help or opening the jaw too widely introduce variability or excessive joint strain, respectively, but the key issue tied to this question is the detrimental effect of posteriorly directed force on achieving true centric relation.