Denture Care, Relines and Repairs: How to Make Your Dentures Last
- Star Light Dental
- June 18, 2026
- [email protected]
A well-made denture should give you years of comfortable service. Whether it does depends on two things: how it is looked after, and whether it is adjusted as your mouth changes underneath it. Gums and bone are not static, and a denture that fitted perfectly three years ago may not fit today.
Here is how to get the longest and most comfortable life out of your dentures.
1. Cleaning Your Dentures Properly
- Rinse them after every meal.
- Brush them once a day with a soft denture brush and denture cleanser or plain mild soap. Do not use ordinary toothpaste. It is abrasive and scratches the surface, and scratches harbour bacteria and stain.
- Clean them over a basin of water or a folded towel. Most broken dentures were dropped in the sink.
- Never use hot water, which warps the acrylic, and never use bleach on a denture with metal parts.
- Brush your gums, tongue, palate and any remaining teeth with a soft toothbrush as well.
2. Take Them Out at Night
Your gums need several hours a day without the denture on them. Wearing dentures around the clock is the main cause of denture stomatitis, a fungal infection that leaves the tissue under the plate red and sore, and it speeds up bone loss too.
After cleaning, store your dentures in water or a denture-soaking solution overnight so that they do not dry out and distort.
3. Why Dentures Become Loose
Once teeth are lost, the jawbone that held them slowly shrinks, and it keeps doing so for life. The denture stays the same shape while the ridge beneath it gets smaller and flatter, so a gap opens up. The signs are:
- the denture moves or drops when you talk, laugh or eat
- food gets underneath it
- sore spots or ulcers appear
- you hear it click
- you need more and more adhesive to keep it in
A small amount of adhesive for extra confidence is fine. Relying on it to hold a loose denture in place means the fit needs attention.
4. Relines and Rebases
A reline adds new material to the fitting surface of your existing denture so that it matches the current shape of your gums. It restores the suction, stops the rubbing and is much cheaper than a new denture. Most dentures need one every two to three years, and immediate dentures need one within the first year as the gums heal.
A soft reline uses a cushioned material for people with tender or very thin gums. A rebase replaces the whole pink base while keeping the teeth.
5. If Your Denture Breaks
Stop wearing it, keep all the pieces and call us. Please do not reach for superglue. Household glues are toxic, they never line the pieces up accurately, and they often make a proper repair impossible. Most cracks, fractures and lost teeth can be repaired quickly. A denture that keeps breaking in the same place is usually telling you that it no longer fits and is flexing under load.
6. How Long Do Dentures Last?
With good care and regular relines, most dentures last between five and ten years. The teeth wear down, the base ages and your face changes shape, so eventually a new set will look and work better. Our guide to the types of dentures covers the options, including implant-retained dentures for a lower plate that will not stay put.
Keep coming in once a year, even if you have no natural teeth left. We check the fit, the health of your gums and the lining of your mouth, including a check for sores that are not healing.
Dentures Not Fitting Like They Used To?
Dentures at Star Light Dental are looked after by Dr Maher Farag, who holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Prosthodontics. We accept NSW denture vouchers and all health funds. Call (02) 9432 2833 or book online, or read more on our dentures page. There is parking at the door and the clinic has disabled access.