How To Handle An Emergency Denture Repair

People wear dentures to replace their lost or missing teeth. Some may be required to wear a complete set of dentures, while others may only need a partial denture, depending on the dentist’s recommendation. Either way, wearing dentures offers a range of benefits, such as improving your smile, supporting facial muscles, enhancing your speech, and allowing you to eat hard foods. (1)

On the other hand, wearing dentures also comes with the responsibility of maintaining and taking care of them. While dentures are not meant to be permanent forever, you can ensure they last longer with proper care. But what happens if your denture suddenly breaks at the most unexpected time? In most cases, this can cause stress, panic, and a sudden loss of confidence.

What Are The Common Reasons For Broken Dentures?

Broken dentures are not supposed to be a common occurrence, considering that they’re designed to endure common oral activities (e.g., eating, chewing, drinking). But occasionally, dentures can still break, especially if they’ve been abused or haven’t been appropriately maintained. (2)

There are various reasons why partial or complete dentures can be broken. Some of these are:

• Dropping them from a significant height
• Build-up of plaque that can cause significant wear and tear
• Improper fitting
• Accidents

Your dentures can also break if you’ve been using the same set for several years and it no longer fits properly in your mouth. Ultimately, regardless of the reason behind your broken denture, such an incident calls for an emergency denture repair. (2)

How To Handle An Emergency Denture Repair?  

Having your dentures break can be troubling, especially since eating and talking could be difficult without it. So, how should you handle an emergency denture repair? This article will discuss a step-by-step guide to help you deal with such without causing further damage to your broken dentures.

1. Don’t panic

When your denture breaks, it’s crucial that you stay calm and don’t panic. Panicking will only cause you to do hasty actions, such as trying to fix your denture or gluing them together with toxic glue, which is even more dangerous for your mouth. It’s best to stay calm, remove your dentures from your mouth, and place it in a safe container. (2)

Moreover, avoid forcing yourself to wear broken dentures as it will only cause unnecessary pain in the mouth or gums and could also worsen the damage. Instead, you can look up “emergency denture repair near me” and see if you can find a professional dental prosthetist to fix your dentures on the same day or schedule you at the soonest time possible. (3)

2. Assess the damage

While waiting for your scheduled emergency denture repair, the next best thing you can do is inspect and assess the damage. Some of the common denture damages you may experience are:

• Broken or dislodged tooth
• Full dentures splitting into two
• Cracks or breaks on the pink acrylic
• Broken metal clasp

It’s also ideal to take note of the time and event where your dentures broke so you can report it to your dentist later on. Perhaps it cracked while chewing hard food, or maybe it broke while you were brushing it. After inspecting the severity of the damage, you can search for “emergency denture repair lab near me” and book an appointment. Then, in the meantime, you can focus on eating soft foods to prevent damaging your gums. (2)

3. Never repair your dentures yourself without professional consultation

Although it might be tempting to repair your dentures on your own, it’s best to avoid doing so. Keep in mind that fixing a broken denture requires the right skills and tools, both of which can only be provided by your dental prosthetist. Furthermore, using ordinary glue to repair your cracked dentures could expose you to hazardous chemicals. If the damage was severe, you’re highly advised to wait for your scheduled denture repair and let the dentist resolve the issue. (2)

Alternatively, suppose the damage or fracture of your dentures is mild and not too serious. In that case, your dentist may instruct you to get an emergency denture repair kit to mend minor damages. Most dentists also recommend patients to have their own denture repair kit so they can touch up or reline their dentures any time. (3)

4. Consider annual denture maintenance

As mentioned, wearing dentures means you need to be responsible for their upkeep and maintenance. Thus, it’s best to have your dentures checked by your dentist or prosthetist at least once or twice a year. In the event that you drop your dentures accidentally or they already feel too loose or tight for you, consider booking an appointment right away for a check-up. This way, you can save yourself from dealing with broken dentures and costly repairs. (1)

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, when faced with an emergency denture repair, your best option is to book an appointment with your prosthetist and have it repaired as soon as possible. Having it professionally fixed will ensure the cracks and fractures will never reoccur. Furthermore, your prosthetist can assess the damage at hand and take a closer look at your mouth to see whether or not you need a new set.

References:

1. Dentures
2. Dental Health And Dentures
3. Dentures FAQs