benocclusion

Probably coined by Simeon Hayden Guilford ante 1905: Latin ben(e) (“well, properly”) + occlusion (“alignment of the teeth in closed jaws”), after malocclusion (“misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth”).

• IPA^(key): /bɛnəˈkluːʒən/

benocclusion (uncountable)

1. (rare) Normal occlusion (alignment) of the teeth when the jaws are closed.
   • 1905, Simeon Hayden Guilford, Orthodontia; or, Malposition of the Human Teeth, 4th edition, page 33:

     Benocclusion…is well illustrated by Fig. 11 which represents the teeth of a Caucasian in a state of contact or rest.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:benocclusion.

• (antonym(s) of “normal occlusion”): malocclusion