Dentures are a great way to replace multiple missing teeth at once. Unlike the old-timey dentures that your grandparents used to wear, modern dentures are customized for each patient, allowing them to look natural and fit perfectly. However, the mouth continues to change over time, so your prosthetic needs to be relined every few years. You can do this by seeing your dentist, but what about at home? Read on to learn more about the process and whether or not a DIY denture reline kit is a good idea.
Can You Reline Your Dentures at Home?
There seems to be a DIY kit for just about everything these days. However, it isn’t recommended or advisable to attempt to reline your dentures on your own. A dental professional is best able to examine your unique situation and give you proper advice. It is best to trust your dentist with the relining process. This way, you are less likely to end up with damaged dentures that don’t fit properly. Ill-fitting dentures can result in a variety of issues, like inflammation, irritation, and blisters in the mouth.
Why Do Dentures Need to Be Relined?
Dentures are customized to fit your smile perfectly. This is why you needed to go through the process of having impressions taken when you first got them. However, you may notice that after a few years, your dentures don’t fit how they used to. This isn’t because your dentures have changed. Instead, this is a result of your smile changing over time. When you are missing teeth, your jawbone is no longer being stimulated by the tooth roots, causing it to be reabsorbed by your body. Ultimately, your dentures need to be altered. If you put off relining your dentures for toot long, you can end up with the following problems.
- Gum inflammation & irritation
- Blisters, cuts, & scrapes in the mouth
- Headaches & earaches due to abnormal jaw pressure
- Difficulty chewing, resulting in indigestion
- Jawbone atrophy
How Does the Denture Relining Process Work?
Relining a denture involves adding new material to the inside surface of the denture to improve how it fits in the mouth. Generally, the first step of a permanent reline is making a thin impression inside your existing denture. Then, the denture is sent to the dental lab where acrylic material is used to fill in gaps where the gums have changed.
As opposed to a permanent denture reline, a soft denture reline is used when a patient has particularly sensitive tissue or excessive bone loss. This type of reline acts as a cushion to the denture, but it doesn’t tend to last as long.
Denture relines are necessary from time to time, but it isn’t the best idea to attempt this process on your own. With the help of a dental professional, your denture will be fitting like new in no time!
About the Practice
At Premier Family Dental, Dr. Rick Cofer and Dr. Ryan McNutt work together to treat patients in the Waco community. With their combined experience and expertise, patients can get pretty much anything they need under one roof. If you aren’t happy with the current fit of your dentures, they would be happy to help with a reline. To learn more about dentures or to schedule an appointment, visit their website or call (254) 732-0309.