Oral Mucosa and Tissue Compression

The varying thickness of the mucosa and sub-mucosa covering the bones forming the palate and alveolar ridges results in the forces which are applied to the denture during clenching and mastication being transmitted unevenly to these supporting structures. In addition to this varying thickness, there are differences in the structure of the fibrous elements of the curium.
Soft tissue is compressed when a force is applied to it because some of the fluids (blood and lymph) which it contains are temporarily shifted. The amount of fluid which a soft tissue contains is dependent both on its thickness and the density of its elements.