Denture Relines, Repairs & Additions

Denture Relines:

Meaning:

A denture reline is the process of replacing the old fitting surface of a denture with the new fitting surface of a denture.

There are basically three different types of denture relines.

  • A Hard “permament” reline
  • A Soft “permament” reline
  • A Soft “temporary” reline

Denture relines are necessary in order to accomplish several goals. These goals include:

Increasing retention and vertical height of old, existing dentures or new dentures that, for one reason or another, have lost retention. Often due to recent extractions or sometimes due to surgical oral procedures.

Relining of old dentures to prolong the necessity of making new dentures.

Gum tissue conditioning to allow your traumatised gingival tissues (gums) to return to a healthy state.

The process of relining a single denture is undertaken in the laboratory and usually takes 24 hours. Soft temporary relines are undertaken with the patient sitting in the dental chair. This process takes usually no longer then 30 minutes.

Denture Repairs:

Meaning

The process of replacing broken teeth or repairing a broken denture base of a denture.

Most dentures when they break do so for a reason. If the reason is that the denture has been dropped by accident, a simple repair should suffice, although it cannot be guaranteed how long the repair will last. If however the denture has broken while being worn in the mouth there will almost certainly be an underlying reason which needs to be addressed by the Dental Prosthetist. The denture base or the teeth maybe simply worn out. It may be that the denture has become ill fitting due to the gum receding or the denture slightly warping out of shape over time.

Dentures and the patients mouth should be checked at regular intervals in any case, this is because the tissues in the mouth can be constantly changing along with natural changes. Certainly weight loss or weight gain can influence the change in dimension of the mouth’ tissues.

Repairing broken teeth of a Full or Partial denture
  • may or may not require an impression of the mouth
  • usually returned to the patient the same day
Repairing a broken acrylic denture base of a Full or Partial denture
  • may or may not require an impression of the mouth
  • usually returned to the patient the same day
Repairing broken clasps on acrylic Partial denture
  • requires an impression of the mouth
  • usually returned within 24 hours
Repairing broken clasps on a chrome cobalt Partial denture
  • requires an impression of the mouth
  • usually returned within 3 days

Denture Additions:

Meaning:

The process of adding artificial teeth to an existing denture after the loss of natural teeth.

  • An initial oral examination is required
  • An addition requires an impression of the upper and /or lower jaw.
  • A reline or replacement of the denture may be required in due cause