A facebow transfer records all of the following EXCEPT one. Which is the EXCEPTION?

Correct answer: B. The dental midline

• A. This IS recorded. Locating the maxilla relative to the transverse horizontal axis is the entire purpose of the facebow, so that opening and closing on the articulator follows the same arc as in the patient.
• B. CORRECT — this is the EXCEPTION. A facebow does NOT record the DENTAL MIDLINE. It orients the maxillary cast to the hinge axis in three dimensions, but midline, incisal display, lip support and tooth position are aesthetic decisions taken clinically from facial reference lines and photographs, not transferred by the facebow.
• C. This IS recorded. The bow relates the maxilla vertically to a horizontal reference plane — Frankfort or the axis–orbital plane, depending on the system.
• D. This IS recorded. The anteroposterior distance from the maxillary teeth to the condyles determines the arc of closure and is captured by the bow.

Note: Why it matters: without a facebow, any change in vertical dimension made on the articulator produces an arc of closure different from the patient's, so the occlusion delivered will not be the occlusion planned. The error grows with the magnitude of the vertical change.