When someone is missing teeth, dentures can help recover their looks, make it easier for them to eat, and improve their general quality of life. Dentures, however, are not fixed and need to be cared for regularly to keep them fitting and working properly.
Changes in the mouth can make dentures less comfortable over time. When you lose teeth, your jawbone naturally shrinks. This can make dentures loose, uncomfortable, or even hard to speak with.
This is where relining and fixing dentures come in. If these things are happening to you and you need help from a denturist in BC, make an appointment today.
What is denture relining?
Adding new material to the base of your dentures is called relining. This is done to make your dentures fit better. This extra material helps to make up for any changes in the shape of your jawbone, making the fit more stable and comfortable.
When should you consider denture relining?
There are a few things that could mean your dentures need to be relined:
- Loose fit: If your dentures feel loose or slip around, making it hard to eat or speak clearly, this is a strong sign that they need to be relined.
- Gum irritation: If your dentures are too loose, they can rub against your gums and make them irritated, sore, and painful.
- Changes in facial structure: If you notice changes in your facial structure, like lines around your mouth, it may also be time to reline.
Types of denture relining.
Denture relining can be done in two main ways.
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Soft relining.
This is a short-term fix that is usually good for short-term wear. A soft, bendable material is added to the base of the denture during soft relining. This makes the fit more comfortable against the gums. Most of the time, this treatment can be done during a regular dentist visit.
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Hard relining.
Hard relining is often the best choice for an option that will last longer and be more sturdy. Putting a layer of hard plastic glue on the base of the denture does this. This makes the fit more solid and stable. For hard relining, the dentures usually need to be sent to a dental lab to be made.
Denture repair can address damages and maintain functionality.
Denture mending is not the same as relining. This article is mostly about damage to the denture itself, like cracks, chips, or broken teeth.
When you need to fix your dentures:
- Cracks or chips: If you see any cracks or chips in your denture, you need to get them fixed right away to stop more damage.
- Broken denture: If your denture is broken, it can make it much less comfortable and useful.
- Missing teeth: If a tooth comes loose from your denture, it needs to be fixed or changed so that it works properly and looks good.
The denture repair process.
How the damage is fixed will depend on what kind of harm it is and how bad it is. In general, it might include:
- Evaluation: Your dentist will carefully look at the broken denture to figure out what to do next.
- Repair procedures: This could be part of the fix, depending on the damage:
- Cracks or chips can be filled by using oral products to cover and smooth out the damaged areas.
- Replacing broken teeth means either putting a broken tooth back together or making a new one.
- Reseating loose teeth means making the attachments of loose teeth stronger.
Changes and improvements: After the fix, your dentist will carefully make changes to the denture to make sure it fits well and is comfortable.
Relining and repairing your dentures are important parts of taking care of them so that they continue to fit well, work properly, and keep your smile looking natural. You can get many years of use out of your dentures if you know what to look for.