Damaged Teeth, Shattered Dreams: What to Do About Broken Dentures

If you had your dentures for long enough, you might eventually begin to feel that they’re your real teeth. You depend on them for eating, for speaking and for making the best impression possible. You meet someone for the first time. That makes it all the more shocking if your dentures should ever break or be damaged.

You might naturally wonder whether a broken prosthetic counts as a dental emergency, one that requires immediate attention from an oral health professional. If you’re curious, here’s what you should know.

Are Broken Dentures A Dental Emergency?

Given how important dentures are to the people who need them, losing yours absolutely counts as a dental emergency. If your dentures are ever lost, damaged or completely broken. The first thing you should do is to call a dentist. They’ll be happy to see you for an emergency appointment, typically within the same day, and they’ll do what they can to restore your prosthetic to perfection.

How Will My Dentist Repair My Dentures?

What the repair process will look like depends on the severity of the damage to your prosthetic. If the issue is minor, like in the case of a hairline fracture, it may be possible to repair your dentures in-office. Many issues can also be addressed with a soft reline, which can be done by just about any dentist that would offer a prosthetic.

However, In the case of many kinds of damage, it’s going to be necessary to send your dentures to an external lab where they can be repaired. For example, if you need a hard reline, or if your dentures are broken completely in half, it’s going to be necessary to send them to such a lab for them to be restored to normal.

And of course, in some circumstances it’s not going to be possible to repair your dentures at all. It may be necessary to replace your dentures completely.

Can I Repair My Dentures On My Own?

It’s a very bad idea to try to repair your dentures on your own. While many stores sell “denture repair kits”, These are inadequate to address just about any problem that you would have with your prosthetic. In fact, it’s more likely that you’ll damage your dentures in an attempt to repair them, Making the work that a dentist will eventually do much more complicated and expensive.

If you find that your dentures ever need repairs or replacement, the best thing to do is to talk to a professional. Trying to handle the situation on your own is only going to make things more difficult in the long run.

About the Author

At Lancaster Family Smiles, we believe that dentistry doesn’t have to be difficult. We’ll do everything that we can to make sure that you’re at ease from the moment you step into our office, and that every need you have regarding your dental health is accounted for and addressed. We know that it can be scary to lose your prosthetic, which is why we take special care to ensure that you’ll get yours back as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions about broken dentures, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (469) 729-7707.