Relines are the most common alteration. Either
soft or hard relining material can be used and on average, it takes around 30
minutes in the clinic and 1-3 days in the dental laboratory.
Firstly, the relining material of acrylic resin is secured onto the dental
appliance once two or three millimetres of the denture foundation has been
removed. Impressions are then taken on the new oral tissues. When the relining
material of acrylic resin is placed against the gum, it is still very soft,
which allows for the acrylic resin to take the shape of the patients gum before
it hardens. It is then sent to the dental laboratory for casting.
Soft relining material may be for temporary use
only, due to the patient’s condition which may involve inflamed gums. Once the
gums have healed the dental prosthetist may replace the soft relining material
with a hard relining material.