Having broken dentures can be difficult for many reasons. For starters, it can prevent you from eating, which is very frustrating. It can also affect your ability to speak properly and that has a tendency to make you feel less confident. A broken denture makes little things so much more complicated and it can start to feel a little embarrassing. What’s worse is that it seems like dentures tend to break at the worse possible time, like when you’re socializing with other people.
When you have a broken denture, what should you do? The short answer is that you’ll want to get it fixed right away. While nothing can take away from your beauty and natural charm, it’s nice to have dentures when you need them. Let’s explore this topic further to minimize any frustration that you might feel if your dentures are currently broken.
Why Dentures Break
If your denture has broken, you shouldn’t feel bad about it because it’s something that tends to happen, even if you’re careful. In many situations, it’s just a matter of wear and tear that occurs naturally. If you have been wearing your dentures for years, they have experienced stress just by virtue of being used on a daily basis.
When you think about what goes on in a person’s mouth when eating, you realize that dentures are subjected to many different conditions. Chewing food naturally wears down dentures. Even the best dentures are bound to fracture at some point. However, there are ways that a dentist can minimize the chances of your dentures breaking in the future.
Repairing or Replacing Your Broken Dentures
When it comes to getting your dentures fixed, the question is whether they should be repaired or replaced. The answer to that question will depend entirely on the reason why they broke in the first place. It’s entirely possible that you only have a minor fracture that can be repaired relatively fast, which means you can get back to your normal activities in very little time. However, it you have broken dentures and they were starting to get worn, there’s a good chance that the dentist will recommend getting new dentures that fit and feel better.
Another reason why you might need to get new dentures is because it’s common to experience bone loss when you wear them. Bone loss is not caused by anything you’ve done wrong, nor is it necessarily because the dentures were improperly fitted. It’s just something that can happen when you’ve worn them for a long time.
The good news is that your dentist can consult with you to identify a solution if you do in fact have bone loss. Perhaps an over-denture might be the solution, which is something that could potentially prevent future bone loss. If that’s the case, your dentist will work that out while preparing your new dentures.
Fixing Your Broken Dentures At Home
Most people that experience a problem with their dentures after hours want to know if there’s anything they can do at home for a temporary fix. You’re probably wondering the same thing. There are denture repair kits that can work wonders in an emergency, but the fix is only temporary. You should speak with your dentist in advance about repair kits or stop by a store to see what’s available. You’ll likely find different options from which to choose.
When looking at kits for denture repair, you will find that they contain a bonding material that’s used for the purpose of making repairs. This isn’t like any other bonding material or glue that you might find in your home, so don’t be tempted to substitute regulated denture bonding material with some other type of glue that’s not approved by the FDA. This is a dangerous situation for more reasons than you can image. For starters, you would be putting toxic chemicals in your mouth. There’s also the issue of damaging your gums and creating a painful situation.
If you choose to use a repair kit, keep in mind that getting your dentures professionally repaired remains a priority because they will certainly break again before long.
Other Considerations
There are many considerations when your dentures are broken and consulting with an emergency dentist will help to ease the stress of the situation. The best case scenario is you will take the time to meet with your dentist as soon as possible for an assessment of what has occurred so that a plan of care can be established. Every situation is unique and the priority is to accommodate your needs so that you can smile, eat and feel confident again.
