## 4 Discussion  
In simulation studies, the exclusion of the load-bearing capacity of the temporomandibular joint on the occlusal side resulted in a change in force distribution between the supports and an increase in mandibular bending. The mandible, when biting on the tooth cusp, has a hinged support point at this location and is bent by the active muscle forces relative to the supports. The bending of the mandible is fundamentally influenced by the type of symmetrical support in both joints or asymmetrical support, where on the occlusal side, the support is weaker (less rigid). \"Weaker support\" is a colloquial term that, in the context of mechanics, explains the fact that the support reaction depends on its compliance. Rigid supports bear more load compared to compliant ones. On the occlusal side, the condyle moves downward due to the thickness of the food being chewed, as explained by anatomy and kinematics. During the closing phase of chewing, the decrease in joint space is more pronounced on the balanced side than on the bite side. Joint space evaluation requires a statistical approach and additional research methods, along with indirect calculation of the condyle-fossa distance [4; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23]. In the stomatognathic system, the soft articular disc participates in load transfer within the joint. As the condyle moves downward from the glenoid fossa, the disc changes its position and shape, which affects its stiffness. This is a complex system that is difficult to model accurately in its entirety along with the mandible. The reason for this complexity lies in the large displacements, which result not only from the movement of the mandible and sliding contacts but also from the deformation of the discs, which is a result of large strain [24; 25; 26]. In FEM, this presents a significant challenge in achieving convergence of the numerical solution. Although successful attempts have been made to simulate the loading of the articular discs during mandibular movements [26], the activation of muscle forces remains within the realm of arbitrary decisions. This is the greatest challenge in modeling bite load transfer in the mandible, which arises from the issue of its static indeterminacy. In mechanics, such a system can be balanced by any muscle activity, provided it satisfies the single condition imposed by physiology, that muscles act in their physiological direction. It remains unclear whether the nervous system controls the muscles with the aim of optimizing maximum bite force while minimizing muscular effort or minimizing joint loading [27]. It should be noted that there is an additional unknown related to the difficulty of determining whether the optimal minimal load distribution on the joints should be symmetric or asymmetric. This arises from the fact that during unilateral biting, the condyle's displacement causes a disc configuration that is not predisposed to carry such a large load compared to the disc on the opposite side, where the condyle remains deeper within the joint. It is unclear whether the disc configuration can modulate the response in a simple mechanical way through reduced compliance or if the nervous system and muscle activity modulation are involved in this process [27], especially due to the connections of the superior belly of the lateral pterygoid with the articular disc. Leaving aside these unknowns, which are still difficult to definitively resolve, we would like to demonstrate that assuming symmetrical alignment of stiffness in both joints is risky in implant design, especially considering clinical studies [4; 12; 28]. Clinical studies suggest that, in such cases, the support in the joint on the occlusal side seems to not align with the assumption of rigid support in the model, which, in response to compression, generates large reaction values and alters the bending configuration in the mandible model. As stress comparison demonstrated, support in both joints led to a significant underestimation of stresses.