When you experience tooth loss, your body begins a process of bone loss called resorption. This process is inevitable and expected following tooth loss. Without intervention such as placement of dental implants, it is also irreversible and ongoing for the remainder of your life.
As your bone resorbs, your tissues reduce in volume, resulting in a difference between the contours of your anatomy and the contours of the tissue-fitting side of your denture. This process of resorption directly causes poor denture fit, which negatively impacts denture comfort and function. If left unaddressed, resorption can also directly lead to other more serious issues such as TMJ disfunction.
To address resorption, we can restore function and comfort of your denture within its expected lifespan (approximately five years, on average) with two processes: a denture reline or a denture rebase. (Beyond the lifespan of a denture, a new denture is normally required as an older denture cannot sufficiently be restored while keeping you within functional limitations.)
Soft liners can also be added to a denture to increase denture stability and reduce discomfort.
At Vernon Denture Clinic, we use the Ivocap BPS® high-impact injected acrylic injection system in all our rebases and relines, to ensure a controlled application of denture acrylic that eliminates shrinkage, improves accuracy, and enhances comfort and fit.
Relines
Relining a denture involves removing some of the existing (pink) denture acrylic from the tissue side or fitting surface of your denture and then rebuilding the denture in order to match its shape to that of your mouth. It can make an older denture fit more securely and feel more comfortable. And in many cases a reline can extend the life of your denture.
Rebases
Similar to but more extensive than a reline, a rebase is the process of replacing all existing (pink) denture acrylic. A rebase is performed when a patient has experienced more significant bone loss than can be corrected by a reline. It may also be needed for repairs such as addition of teeth to a partial denture, to coincide with aesthetic resets of teeth, and to replace the denture base on an immediate denture following extraction-related bone resorption.
Soft Liners
Some people experience significant resorption, resulting in gum tissue that become more sensitive and pointed. This can cause your to rub against and irritate your gums. In these situations, a soft liner may help.
Soft liners are a cushioned base built into a denture. Being more porous, this soft base will adhere better to gums, making a denture more stable and less irritating.
We use only Molloplast® B soft liners, the dental industry leader known for their superior soft liners.