DENTALTECHNOLOGY

SECTION EDITOR
DANIEL H. GEHL

The complete denture reline: A simpMkd technique

John W. McCartney, D.D.S. *
Stuttgart, West Germany

P atients in need of a reline for complete dentures

do not wish to be without their denture for a lengthy
period of time. The following technique describes a
method which accomplishes the pouring of the
master cast and the final flasking of the denture
simultaneously. The impression materials used accu-
rately record the border extensions as well as internal
tissue surface contour, and they are easily removed
from the invested denture prior to packing. The
entire laboratory phase of the procedure takes only
90 minutes, thereby permitting the return of the
prosthesis to the patient in a very short amount of
time.

TECHNIQUE
Clinical procedure
1. Verify the accuracy of the existing posterior
extension of the denture base, and if needed, either
reduce or slightly extend it with green stick modeling
compound? applied to the internal aspect of the
denture base only.
2. Make the necessary occlusal adjustments to
achieve bilateral simultaneous contact of all posteri-
or teeth in centric relation at an acceptable occlud-
ing vertical dimension.
3. Reduce the borders (excluding the posterior
border extension) approximately 2 mm short of the
anticipated denture base extension (Fig. 1). Fig. 1. Denture borders are reduced 2 mm short of the
4. Relieve the entire internal acrylic resin surface anticipated denture extension.
to a depth of approximately 1 mm and eliminate all
undercuts (Fig. 2).
5. Drill retentive holes 1 mm short of the existing silicone impression material* along the entire
denture base borders (Fig. 3). reduced periphery.
6. Mix and place heavy bodied addition reaction 7. Seat the denture. Have the patient gently “tap”
it to place in centric relation. When the dentist has
determined that the patient has closed to the desired
The views or opinions expressed herein are those of the author and
occluding vertical dimension, border molding is
do not necessarily reflect those of the US Army.
*Lieutenant Colonel, DC, USA; Chief, Removable Prosthodon- accomplished (Fig. 4).
tics, Bad Cannstatt, DENTAC.
?‘Kerr Mfg. Co., Romulus, MI. *Uni/Disco inc., Detroit, MI.

MAY 1981 VOLUME 45 NUMBER 5

COMPLETE DENTURE RELINE

Fig. 2. Internal denture base surface is relieved and Fig. 3. Retentive holes are placed 1 mm short of the
undercuts eliminated. adjusted denture base extension.

8. Remove the excess material on the internal and
external surfaces of the denture base (Fig. 5).
9. Mix and place a light bodied addition reaction
silicone impression material in the denture. Seat and
border mold. Allow the impression material to set.
10. Remove the denture, trim of excess impression
material on the external surface and reinsert the
denture to verify esthetics, retention, stability, and
centric occlusion at the acceptable occluding vertical
dimension (Fig. 6).
Laboratory procedures
1. Mix and place plaster in the lower half of the
flask.
2. Place the denture, with the teeth down, into
the investing plaster. Smooth the plaster to elimi-
nate undercuts, and allow it to set (Fig. 7). The an-
terior section of the denture is submerged deeper
into the plaster than the posterior section (Fig. 8) to
provide a path of flask separation which is free
of anterior flange undercuts. This helps to avoid
potential fracture of the cast in the anterior ridge
region (Fig. 9).
3. Apply a separating medium to the plaster.
4. Vacuum mix an improved stone and pour into
the denture. The remainder of the flask is filled, and
the lid is placed on the flask (Fig. 10).
5. Separate the flask after the stone has set, and
remove the silicone impression material from the
denture base along with any modeling plastic used to
extend the posterior border.
6. Scrape the cast to establish the posterior palatal
relief along the clinical posterior border extension.
7. Mix autopolymerizing acrylic resin,* and place
it inside the denture base.
8. Close the flask and place in a pneumatic press?
*Prosthetic resin repair material, L. D. Caulk Co., Milford, DE.
iPneumatic flask press, Coe Laboratories, Inc., Chicago, IL.

THE JOURNAL OF PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY 565

 MCCARTNEY

Fig. 4. Border molding is accomplished with heavy bod- Fig. 6. Finalized reline impression, trimmed of excess
ied addition reaction silicone material. impression material, and reinserted to verify esthetics a!%
well as centric occlusion at an acceptable vertical dimen-
sion.

Fig. 5. Excess border molding material is removed from Fig. 7. Denture is invested in the lower half of the
the internal surface of the denture base. flask.

border molding
material

denture base

Fig. 8. Denture is angled, with the anterior portion deeper into the plaster of the lower half of the
flask.

566 MAY 1981 VOLUME 45 NUMBER 5

COMPLETE DENTURE RELINE

path of flask separation

/

border molding
material
“wash” material

denture base -

stone fracture of anterior ridge due to

undercut in denture base with respect to
to path of flask separation

Fig. 9. Failure to invest the denture at the proper angulation to the path of flask separation will result in
fracture of the stone cast in the anterior ridge region

Fig. 10. Improved stone is placed into the denture

impression, the flask is filled with improved stone, and
the lid is placed on the flask.
Fig. 11. Autopolymerizing acrylic resin is packed within
a pneumatic press and cured under pressure.
at 1,500 psi (Fig. 11) until the acrylic resin excess
flash stops flowing (5 to 7 seconds). I would like to thank Rosemarie Rogoish for her assistance with
9. Increase the pressure to 2,500 psi until flow the illustrations.
stops, and hold at 3,500 psi for 15 minutes to allow
Rqmnt requeststo:
polymerization of the acrylic resin. DR. JOHN W. MCCAKTNEY
10. Remove the denture from the flask. BAD CANNSTATT, DENTAC
11. Finish in the usual manner. STUTTGART, WEST GERMANY

THE JOURNAL OF PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY 567