A Reline or Rebase of your Existing Denture is done when your denture—a Full (complete) Denture or a Partial Denture—has become loose due to gum shrinkage and bone resorption over time. A Reline or Rebase extends the life of your dentures by ensuring they once again fit well and comfortably.
Usually you only need a Reline (rather than a Rebase): in a Reline, your denturist adds a Permanent Liner to your existing denture based on new impressions of your mouth (new impressions provide the exact current shape of your jaw bones and gums, and the tissues between them). In other words, a Reline is a simple procedure that aims to reshape the underside of your denture in order to make it fit in your mouth more securely and comfortably—without you needing a brand new denture.
A Rebase, on the other hand, achieves the same goal except it does so by removing all the pink acrylic base of the denture and makes a new denture base—based on the new impressions, again capturing the new shape of your jaw bones, tissues and gums, and thus allowing your denture to fit in your mouth more securely and comfortably. A Rebase is done for a number of reasons, most of all when the acrylic base of your denture is brittle and keeps cracking. Replacing this pink base makes the denture like new once again, and makes it almost as strong as it was brand new. In a Rebase, the teeth are not adjusted or tampered with: if the teeth are worn, they will remain worn.
When you do need a New Denture is when the teeth of your existing denture are in pretty bad shape due to the age of the denture or you just want a change. However, all three options of Reline, Rebase or New Denture can be discussed with your denturist at your Free Consultation appointment. If your denture is loose, give us a call and your denturist will have a look. Note that relines & rebases do require an appointment.
Why Relines & Rebases Are Needed
There are many reasons for your gums, tissues and bones to shrink over time. But they mostly have to do with either the normal aging process or Periodontal Disease—infection of those gums and underlying tissues and bones caused by bacteria.
Not only are the gums and underlying tissues living tissue, but—you may be surprised—so are all bones, including the jaw bones. Bones are a specialized connective tissue which have their own blood vessels and are made of various cells, proteins, minerals and vitamins. This structure enables them to grow, transform and repair themselves throughout life. Bone and all other tissues are therefore normally subjected to a constant regeneration process. In fact, what is happening is bone and other tissue cells are constantly breaking down (called Resorption) and then Regenerating.
If you still have some of your own natural teeth, poor brushing and flossing habits and other factors allow disease-causing bacteria to increase in mass and thickness until they form a sticky residue called Plaque, which if allowed to remain, becomes mineralized and transforms into Tartar. If left in the mouth, they eventually cause infection and inflammation of your gums and underlying tissues. When this occurs, you have Periodontal Disease, which stops the regeneration part of the Resorption-Regeneration process. But because the Resorption part continues—without the Regeneration part—your gums, tissues and bones begin to shrink (resorb), which in turn exposes the teeth roots, making it easy for further bacteria to build up. This eventually leads to tooth loss.
But our own natural teeth are very important to maintain healthy gums and the underlying tissues and bones. This is because the repeating stress on the gums and underlying tissues and jaw bones caused by the forces exerted by our natural teeth biting down and chewing is what continuously stimulates the breaking down (Resorption) and Regeneration process of the bone and tissue cells.
Implants—getting implants screwed into your jaw bones—and being fitted with some kind of artificial tooth/teeth (like crowns, bridges and Implant Dentures) do help to slow down Resorption of the jaw bones themselves, since the biting down forces get transmitted down the length of the implants, directly into the bone—in a similar way to natural teeth (though of course we are only talking about a few implants (2 minimal), compared with a full mouth of natural teeth all stimulating the bones and tissues).
Click on any one of our services below for details on it.
Click on any one of our services
below for details on it.
Main Choices
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Reline
If your existing denture is loose and the pink acrylic base is still in good shape, then you may need a Reline, where your denturist adds a Permanent Liner to your denture based on new impressions of your mouth, thus allowing your denture to fit in your mouth more securely and comfortably.
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Rebase
If your existing denture is loose but the pink acrylic base is in bad shape (but the teeth themselves are still in good-enough shape to not need the fabrication of a New Denture), then you may need a Rebase, where your denturist removes all the pink acrylic base of the denture and makes a new base based on new impressions of your mouth, thus allowing your denture to fit in your mouth more securely and comfortably, and almost like brand new.
Your Options
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Soft Liners
If your gums are more sensitive on the bottom, we can include the addition of a Permanent Soft Liner to your Existing Lower Denture during the the Reline or Rebase that provides a more comfortable feel. This option is also available for New Dentures. There are advantages & disadvantages that you can discuss with your denturist.
Call us to book your Free Consultation appointment
or discuss more with us on the phone!
Call us to book your
Free Consultation appointment
or discuss more with us
on the phone!
Our Mission at Grantham Denture Clinic for more than 50 years (first with father Joe and now with son Tim as your denturists) has always been to bring our patients exceptional solutions, techniques and quality care to their denture needs along with a compassionate approach, creating a calming environment with confident, yet gentle, personalized denture care, always putting our patients first. We just love the joy we bring to our patients’ lives when we fit them with a denture that makes them feel whole again.
Office Hours
| Mon | 9:00am-5:00pm |
|---|---|
| Tue | 9:00am-5:00pm |
| Wed | 9:00am-5:00pm |
| Thu | 9:00am-5:00pm |
| Fri | Closed |
| Sat | Closed |
| Sun | Closed |
