Denture Reline Instructions

A denture reline is required when bone and tissue of the mouth begin to shrink due to post-immediate dentures, tooth loss, bone loss in the upper and lower jaw, weight loss, illness, disease or aging. The procedure should be done periodically to increase the stability of the denture and to prevent more bone loss, sore gums and overlapping of the soft tissue under the palate.

Procedures

• A denture reline can help to shape and model the face, accommodating the changes that occur due to bone deterioration. An uneven occulusal plane (how teeth and dentures fit together) can cause an improper fit, immense pain due to ulcerations, swelling, speech problems, difficulty chewing and continued bone erosion; it also can cause the denture to hit in the wrong place or at the wrong time. Surgery may be necessary to remove the excess soft tissue of the gums and palate that has overgrown in folds underneath the denture and around the rim. A dental professional may be able to fix the overgrowth problem by performing tissue conditioner treatments.

  Dental professionals recommend that a denture reline be performed every 3 to 5 years to ensure a proper fit, prevent movement and keep the wear of the ridge to a minimum.

  During a chair-side denture reline, the dentist grinds away the denture's pink acrylic that contacts the gums in order to custom fit the acrylic base to the shape of the gums and bones. For a laboratory denture reline, the dentist uses impression material to make an accurate representation of the underlying tissue. The impression is then sent to a laboratory, where new acrylic is molded to the old denture in basically the same manner as the original, manufactured denture.

Benefits and Misconceptions

• A self-cure acrylic used during the chair-side denture reline is not as durable and hard as a laboratory-processed acrylic. For patients whose gums are swollen or sensitive, the softer material can provide better comfort. The chair-side denture reline is usually a quick process. The patient may have to wait only one day to get the plates back from the dentist. A laboratory denture reline produces a more precise impression, but the patient has to wait longer to receive her plates.

  The fabrication process during manufacturing is important in the proper fit of dentures. Improperly fitted dentures can result from the curing process. The most popular fabrication process, IVOCAP, results in only a .01 shrinkage, which ensures a more comfortable-fitting denture.

  Home denture reline kits are recommended only for temporary solutions until a patient can see his dentist. Before a reline procedure, a dental professional can advise whether or not the bite position, the condition of existing teeth and the acrylic base are in good enough condition for a reline to be performed.