Relining and Rebasing

The denture base materials may discolour or deteriorate, whereas the artificial teeth can also discolour, fracture, or become abraded. These material changes can be rectified; however, irreversible change in the tissues supporting the prosthesis can only be partially compensated for. Meticulous attention and care in the construction of complete dentures can minimize adverse changes in the supporting tissues and in associated facial structures as well, but it cannot preclude them. If the fact that these changes are going to occur has not been explained to patients in the beginning, they are apt to blame the dentist for the fact that their dentures do not function properly or look as well as they did originally. The clinical efforts that aim at prolonging the useful life of complete dentures involve refitting of the impression surface of the denture, occlusal correction, and a minor spatial reorientation of the prosthesis. The techniques available for this are, Relining and Rebasing.