A note on denture adjustments

When you are adjusting the dentures to remove overextensions which cause instability or for sore spots, look at the tissues and see how they match up with the denture base. I don't put a lot of trust and faith in indicators such as pressure indicating pase because it is very dependant on the amount you put and the pressure at which you apply the denture to the tissues. If you put a very thick layer on the denture it may not be removed even with significant pressure. If the pressure spot is also quite light, it may not have enough pressure to displace even a thin layer of PIP. The material itself is quite viscous and sticky. Half the time, it will stick to the tissue and be removed from the denture surface. Other times, the viscosity will displace tissue at the sulcus and won't reveal overextensions. A light bodied material won't displace tissue as much and instead will be displaced off the denture revealing pressure spots.

Inspecting the tissues is especially important at the frenae. Look at the contour of the denture flanges and then look back at the oral sulci shape when you are pulling the soft tissues in different directions. The level of attached mucosa will reveal itself as you manipulate the tissues. The level of attachment of the frenum should be represented in the shape of the denture flange. This is often not the case as the tissues are often not border moulded enough during the impression stage. Use a thin bur to adjust the shape of the denture to match the frenum shape. 

To double check, you can slowly seat the denture while holding the lips and cheeks taut. Hold the denture slightly above the tissue surface and compare the shape of the sulcus to the shape of the denture. Holding them next to each other can make it easier to note discrepancies in shape.