Denture Relines
New dentures will typically fit your mouth as it has been designed specifically for your gums. As time goes on, your gum tissues will change and the fit of the denture will become looser and thus more prone to movement inside your mouth. Having the denture professionally relined every one to two years will keep the dentures secure and functional.
Hard Reline
All full dentures should have a hard reline every two years. We remove a layer of plastic from the dentures interior surface and then fill the denture with a putty-like material which conforms to the contours of your mouth creating an accurate impression. The denture is sent to the lab where it is adjusted to the new shape of your gum tissue. This results in maximum contact between the denture and your mouth.
Soft Reline
Some patients are unable to wear ordinary dentures because of tender gums or sore spots. We may recommend relining the denture with a material that stays pliable for about one year before needing replacement. This material is much less likely to give the patient sore spots than the standard hard reline acrylic. Patients experiencing these problems may also consider a more permanent solution of implant retained dentures.
Temporary Relines
If dentures have not been serviced in quite some time, a patient’s gums may be red, swollen, or misshapen. This creates problems in taking impressions for a new hard or soft reline and may lead to a denture that would perpetuate the problem.
A temporary, or palliative (medicated) reline material may be recommended to allow the inflammation to subside. This reline makes the denture fit much more tightly, and is usually soft and pliable. After a few weeks, the gums return to a more normal state. The patient is then ready for his new denture or hard reline.
