Relining is resurfacing the tissue side of a denture with a new material to fill the space that exists between the original denture contour and the altered tissue contour.

Relining of dentures is standard procedure for those patients that have their teeth extracted and the denture placed on the same day. When a tooth is extracted from it’s place within the alveolar bone tissue that houses it, the tissue undergoes what is known as resorption, or “breakdown” at the cellular level that takes its component materials and disperses them elsewhere throughout the body. In layman’s terms, this bony material is essentially “taken” back “into” the body for other use. Denture wearers experience most of this resorption within the first three to four months after extractions, then gradually over time throughout the rest of one’s life. As a result of this resorption, the gum tissue surrounding the alveolar bone experiences a change in density and shape that begins to cause a previously fitted denture to become more uncomfortable over time. This is where a denture reline can help.

Relining can also be used to repair a cracked denture, and is an excellent way to delay the cost of a new denture altogether.

Hard relines to dentures must be sent to the laboratory and the patient will be without their denture for a few days.