DENTURE AND PARTIAL UPGRADES

Over a period of time, your denture will need to be relined or rebased.  I will discuss these procedures below.  In general, a full denture (which replaces all your teeth) or partial (which hooks onto at least a couple remaining teeth) will remain functional for a period of approximately seven to ten years.  At that time, they should be evaluated for possible replacement.

Let's take a look at why dentures and partials loosen with time,.  First, when teeth are lost, jawbone starts to melt away or atrophy, leaving a gap or space under your partial or denture.  When the jawbone is no longer directly stimulated by the chewing pressure a tooth provides to the bone, the bone, as a result, atrophies.  As the bone atrophies, the space under your denture and partial cause it to shift and become loose.  Extra food will also pack into this newly created space.

As long as the space isn't too large, it can be filled in with new acrylic (a process called a reline).  When the space gets excessive a denture may need rebasing.  Rebasing means making a new plastic base while keeping the existing denture teeth.   On the other hand, when the denture teeth become worn, a new denture or partial should be made.

As a side note, I highly recommend people with full dentures have an oral cancer evaluation once a year.  Sores, irritations and new found red or white lesions under dentures that don't heal should be evaluated by a dentist.