Ironically, the controversies and confusion regarding occlusion have not influenced the way dentists restore the mastication system, but they have been a major distraction to focusing on the most insidious threat to the health and integrity of the system itself, vertical parafunction. Vertical parafunction, aka; clenching, dental compression syndrome or DCS, averages 200 pounds per square inch, capable of 1,000 pounds per square inch, lasts twice as long as bruxism, has a multitude of etiological agents, and specifically focuses on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Clenching, unlike bruxism, cannot be managed by the practitioner.