Relining & Rebasing

Do your dentures feel loose and uncomfortable? If so, there’s a very good chance that this problem can be remedied by refitting your dentures.

 

Over time, denture-wearers will inevitably experience bone and tissue loss in their oral cavity. This phenomenon is known as gum resorption and there are a variety of factors that can contribute to this frustrating – albeit inevitable – process, including:
 

• aging

• weight loss

• illness or disease

• poor oral hygiene

• gradual wear and tear from denture usage

• recovery from oral surgery
   

In fact, you might be surprised to hear that gums can continue to change in shape quite dramatically for up to a full year after your teeth have been extracted. For this reason, we always recommend that new denture-wearers consider refitting their dentures at the one-year mark of their oral surgery to offset those significant changes.
 

When it comes to refitting your dentures, you can typically choose between what's known as a reline and a rebase. Relining is a faster process whereby acrylic is added to the underside of a denture to compensate for tissue loss – however the rest of the acrylic on the denture remains unchanged, which limits the long-term effectiveness of relining. Rebasing, on the other hand, is a longer, more in-depth technique that replaces the entire denture base (pink "gum" part) for optimal effectiveness. This means that the patient is essentially receiving half of a brand-new denture, with fresh pink acrylic that is both stronger and better-fitting. A rebase is always more effective than a reline and is the preferred route when the denture teeth are still in good enough shape to complement the brand-new denture base.

If you would like to learn more about refitting your dentures, feel free to call us directly at 519-865-8477 or send us a message using the button below and we will be happy to help!