Figures read September 28, 2026
Dentures do not last forever: the acrylic wears, and the jaw underneath changes shape, so a denture that fitted well loosens. Nobody publishes a clinical replacement schedule, but 15 state Medicaid programs publish what they will pay for, and 2 publish a reline interval. This checker sets your denture’s age against those published intervals, and explains the one case with a schedule of its own: the immediate denture fitted the day teeth come out.
Reline, rebase or replace
Reline
New material added to the fitting surface so the same denture follows the gums’ new shape. The teeth and base stay. Connecticut’s program pays for one every 2 years; Hawaii’s program pays for one every 2 years. No chain publishes its reline price.
Rebase
The whole base replaced around the existing teeth, for a base that has cracked or worn while the teeth are still sound. Between a reline and a new denture in cost and in work.
Replace
A new denture. The program intervals above are the published rhythm: every five years at the short end, ten at the long end, and Pennsylvania pays for one per arch per lifetime unless an exception is approved.
The immediate denture
Fitted the same day the teeth come out, over gums that then shrink as they heal. It needs a reline within the first months and is often replaced by a conventional denture once the gums have settled; the chains’ first-denture packages price that early care in.
Signs the fit has changed
The reasons people raise with a dentist, none of which this tool can weigh for you: a denture that slips when speaking or eating, sore spots that keep coming back, more adhesive needed than before, a lower face that looks shorter or lips that fold in, cracks or a chipped tooth, and stains that cleaning no longer lifts. A loose denture usually means the gums have changed, not that the denture has failed, which is what a reline is for. A dentist can tell the two apart in one visit.
Where the numbers come from
| Figure | Read from | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut: every 7 years; relines every 2 | HUSKY Health (Connecticut Dental Health Partnership) | September 28, 2026 |
| District of Columbia: every 5 years | DC Medicaid (Department of Health Care Finance) | September 28, 2026 |
| Hawaii: every 5 years; relines every 2 | Med-QUEST (Hawaii Medicaid) | September 28, 2026 |
| Indiana: every 6 years | Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP) | September 28, 2026 |
| Iowa: every 5 years | Iowa Medicaid / Dental Wellness Plan | September 28, 2026 |
| Louisiana: every 8 years | Louisiana Medicaid Adult Denture Services (DentaQuest / MCNA Dental) | September 28, 2026 |
| Massachusetts: every 7 years | MassHealth | September 28, 2026 |
| Montana: complete 10 yrs, partial 5 | Montana Medicaid (DPHHS) | September 28, 2026 |
| Nevada: every 5 years | Nevada Medicaid (DHCFP) | September 28, 2026 |
| North Carolina: complete 10 yrs, partial 8 | NC Medicaid | September 28, 2026 |
| North Dakota: every 7 years | North Dakota Medicaid | September 28, 2026 |
| Ohio: every 8 years | Ohio Medicaid | September 28, 2026 |
| Oregon: complete 10 yrs, partial 5 | Oregon Health Plan (OHP) | September 28, 2026 |
| South Dakota: every 5 years | South Dakota Medicaid | September 28, 2026 |
| Wisconsin: every 5 years | Wisconsin Medicaid / BadgerCare Plus (ForwardHealth) | September 28, 2026 |
More tools and the reference behind this one
Medicaid, state by state
The reference page this tool is built from, with every published figure, dated and sourced.
Denture cost estimator
Tier, arches and extractions from published Affordable Dentures office prices.
Medicaid denture coverage checker
Pick a state: the Medicaid verdict, the rule in its own words, and the source.
Dental insurance annual-maximum planner
Annual max, deductible and coinsurance against a published denture price.
Implant-supported vs conventional denture: lifetime cost
Replacement cycles over 10 to 30 years, on published tier and implant prices.
Which denture type fits: a chooser
Three questions to the type usually discussed first, with its published price band.