After your teeth are extracted, your gum continues to shrink as time goes on. This results in a denture that can be loose or ill-fitting. A reline fills in the gap between your denture and your gums with new hard acrylic to restore it’s stability. It is recommended to get a reline on a full denture 6-12 months after extractions and checked every two years after that.
We also have the option of a soft reline available which can either be temporary or permanent. The temporary soft reline is a tissue conditioner used to prepare the gums under the denture for the hard reline, allowing ulcers or sore spots to heal. The soft reline only lasts 6-8 weeks after which it should be made into a permanent material. The material is not designed to last a long time.
Permanent soft liners are a last resort for patients whose mouths cannot tolerate the hard acrylic due to bony ridges. They are not as permanent as hard relines, requiring replacement after two years.
A denture may be able to be relined if:
-
The denture no longer fits, it slips, or falls down
-
The age and condition of the denture is good
-
The original denture was an immediate denture (made right after teeth were extracted). This means that where the gums and bone natural teeth were removed has now shrunk/resorbed causing a gap between the tissue and denture, causing looseness
What a reline does NOT do:
-
It does not change the teeth or its surface. The teeth will remain the same
-
A reline only makes the fitting surface of the denture fit more snuggly and can increase the suction of the upper denture