If you’re new to the world of dentures, need to read up for a loved one or just need a refresher, denture care is essential for the longevity of your false teeth.
Although modern dentures are made from a comfortable and resilient material, you may find that your false teeth need some work done.
This work includes things such as daily wear and tear, accidental breakage, changes in the shape of your mouth and bone loss. No matter what the cause may be, make sure to take your broken or ill-fitting dentures to a denture repair store or denturist as soon as possible, to avoid irreparable damage to the dentures, mouth sores or irritation.
Do You Need To Reline or Rebase?
Dentures are a comfortable, convenient, and affordable option for patients who are missing part or all of their teeth. However, they include additional maintenance that normal teeth do not require. This is just a step you must take to keep your dentures in good condition to align and/or reset them.
Here’s everything you need to know about denture relines and rebasing.
Denture Reline
As you age, the shape of your gums and jaw naturally changes, which means your replacement teeth don’t fit as well as they used to. The denture reline is designed to adjust the fitting surface of the denture as your mouth and gums change, ensuring that the denture always fits well and feels comfortable.
Here’s how to know if you need a denture relines:
- Swollen gums and/or pain from misaligned dentures
- Unstable or loose dentures
- Difficulty eating and speaking
- You don’t want a complete denture replacement, just an adjustment.
There are two types of dental relines you should be aware of
Hard Denture Reline: A hard denture reline will improve the stability of your dentures. During this process:
The hard denture reline improves the stability of the denture. During this process:
- The old attachment surface of your replacement tooth is removed.
- A soft impression material is placed inside the surface of the denture, which is used to take an accurate impression of your mouth.
- A new hard acrylic denture base is made from the impression.
Soft Denture Reline: For patients with sensitive gums, hard dentures can cause discomfort and sore spots. A soft denture is better in this case because it uses a soft and flexible material that makes wearing the dentures more comfortable. Because the material can harden over time, the relining of the soft prosthesis must be repeated approximately every 1-2 years.
The procedure includes
- Removal of hard plastic from the attachment surface of the prosthesis.
- Place the impression material on the newly cut suitable surface and take the impression of the mouth.
- Use the impression to place the soft relining material precisely on the denture attachment surface.
- Removal of hard plastic from the attachment surface of the denture.
Denture Rebase
Unlike a denture reline, a rebase is a more drastic adjustment and requires a thorough replacement of all the acrylic in your denture base. This type of denture repair is used when the denture teeth are in good condition, but the base needs a complete adjustment.
Your denturist may recommend a rebase if:
- You’ve damaged or broken your denture
- The base of your denture is becoming weak
- You want to change your immediate denture into a permanent one
- Your dentures aren’t fitting as comfortably as they used to
How often is a denture rebase required? If you want to renew the lifespan of your dentures and ensure that they are always functioning like new ones, you need a denture rebase every 5-7 years.
Complete Dentures: Your One Stop Shop
At Complete Dentures, you will get all the services we offer from creating various types of dentures to repairing, relining and repairing dentures as well as mouth guards. If you’re in need of professional care and experience, you can’t beat Complete Dentures.
Contact Complete Dentures Today.
