People have been losing teeth for as long as people have existed. Not only are there dental records going back to 3,000 BCE in Ancient Egypt, but dentures were constructed for the first time just 500 years later. While the methods of making them have changed over thousands of years, the need for replacing lost teeth is as important as ever.
Dentures provide essential support for maintaining normal eating and speech clarity, but once you have them, how long do they last before they need to be adjusted?
Dental relining at Hillsdale Dental Care helps you get the most out of your dentures. Here, Dr. Roge Jacob and Dr. Magdalena Azzarelli explain why and when it’s needed, and how it works.
Your dentures are designed to fit your mouth when the custom appliance arrives, but your mouth changes over time. Without teeth, certain areas shrink as your mouth goes through bone and tissue reabsorption. Initially, your appliance is set to fit your oral structures, but as your mouth adapts to not having teeth, the fit of your dentures shifts, too.
Oral changes can eventually cause your dentures to loosen and become less stable and even painful to wear. Other reasons for changes in the fit of dentures include weight loss, poor oral hygiene, natural changes from aging, and wear-and-tear on the dentures over time.
To see if you need relining in your dentures, check for these signs:
As the bones and tissues shift or shrink in your mouth, dentures will feel looser and slide around more easily. This is a common sign they need relining.
In addition to feeling loose, you’ll also be able to see a gap between your palate and the dentures, increasing the risk of slippage.
When dentures are unstable, talking takes more effort as you try to keep them in.
The same problem with speaking also applies to eating; as you try to bite and chew, unstable or ill-fitting dentures can make the task much harder.
All of the previously mentioned problems increase the risk of dentures falling out, and when they do, you know for certain that it’s time to have them adjusted.
There are three basic methods to adjust the fit of your dentures and mold them to your mouth’s current structures:
A common technique for sensitive gums, a soft reline replaces the current hard mold with a softer, more pliable material, helping gums heal faster.
A more involved denture reline method involves replacing the plastic in the mold with a putty that makes an impression, which is then sent to the lab to create an acrylic mold.
When denture users have gone long periods without wearing their appliance, due to discomfort or irritation, a medicated material is applied to the underside and worn for a few weeks to promote soft tissue healing. Once healed, we decide whether a new denture or a reline is the best option.
Dentures are essential to millions of people, aiding in eating, talking, and smiling. If you’ve got fit issues with your dentures, schedule an appointment with our team at Hillsdale Dental Care in San Jose, California. We can restore your appliance to optimal fit and comfort in no time.
