The area of the denture base that contacts tissues can be lined with soft denture liners to increase comfort. For those individuals experiencing considerable pain when wearing dentures where the inside of the denture has a hard plastic interface, soft denture liners may be just what the doctor ordered to provide the much needed comfort.
Normally individuals with denture pain may have a low threshold for pain. However, it is also quite possible that the gum tissue that overlays the jawbone is thinner for the patient than the average person and does not do a sufficient job resisting pressure well. When this thin tissue is compressed between hard denture plastic and hard jawbone, the pain is no easily avoidable. Replacing the hard interface with a soft denture liner will help reduce or eliminate painful tissue compressions.
Denture liners are usually made from a special medical grade silicone or rubber type compound. The silicone compounds are by and large more compressible and therefore much softer. For these materials to function properly, they ought to be reasonably thick. For that reason, the amount of plastic that should be removed from the base of the dentures to make room for the soft liner may weaken some dentures. In these cases, it becomes necessary to include a reinforcing metal framework in the body of some dentures.
Over time, unfortunately, even the best soft denture liners tend to gradually harden. Many time the patient will not be aware of this occurring since the process is so gradual. However, eventually more and more problems will begin to be experienced up until the point where a new soft denture liner is placed in to replace the hardened one.
Denture liners are absorbent in nature, which is why they are usually soft. However, this spongy characteristic contributes to their corrosion and attraction to microorganisms. One of the biggest concerns with soft denture liners is the possibility of the liner becoming contaminated with disease causing microorganisms the likes of fungus, for example. In such situations it may not be possible to cleanse the denture without having to also replace the denture liner.
While denture liners normally last longer over a year, they ought to be replaced on each year or sooner. Of course the frequency of replacement will depend on each individual situation and oral hygiene habits. Although, the soft denture liner will conform to a constantly changing jawbone, which helps prevent pain, it is not a long-term substitute for frequent modifications to balance denture bites.