Broken Dentures And How To Treat Them

A broken denture can be the cause of immediate distress and anxiety when it happens. A broken denture repair or new denture fabrication as the case may be should be performed as soon as possible to restore masticatory function and aesthetics.

The occurrence of a broken denture seems to always happen at the most awkward and inopportune times, often when eating at home or socially or after being dropped in the bathroom or public washroom during denture cleaning. Dentures must be removed to be cleaned properly, are slippery when wet, increasing the possibility of dropping them which may result in a broken denture. Another situation where the dental prosthesis may break is by the family dog chewing on them. Dogs have a propensity for chewing on dentures often resulting in a broken denture. Loose, poorly fitting dentures are also at increased risk for fracture or breakage so that regular visits to the dentist to evaluate the condition of the denture as well as an evaluation of soft tissue and osseous structure in the oral cavity is highly recommended.

Individuals should not continue wearing a broken denture and should seek the aid of their dentist as soon as possible. Patients should not attempt to repair broken dentures themselves as in most cases this renders the broken denture incapable of being repaired by any dental professional.Situations where an attempt by denture wearers to fix their broken denture which would have been repairable by a dental professional has resulted in irreversible damage to the broken denture so that a new denture must be fabricated. Furthermore, dangerous unhealthy problems have arisen from the use of bonding and adhesive materials not intended for intra-oral use such as cyanomethylacrylates, epoxy and other materials being used in a well- intentioned but amateur and misguided attempt to repair a broken denture. It is also very difficult for the lay person to align the broken edges of a broken denture properly in the correct original orientation to properly fit back in the oral cavity in a proper functional and aesthetic manner as was the case previous to the denture having been broken. Unfortunately unadvisable efforts at repairing a broken denture by a patient are motivated by the view that the patient sees as economic savings which almost always turn out to be more costly in the very near future. The continued wearing of a broken denture results in unnecessary intra-oral tissue irritation which may result in an increased risk of infection and other pathologies including malignancies.

Broken dentures involving metal framework fractures are impossible for the lay person to repair. A broken denture can often be repaired by the patient’s dentist relatively quickly if the repair is not too complicated but complex sophisticated repairs are performed more efficiently and predictably by denturists or dental laboratory technicians. Some broken dentures may require, soldering, welding, laser welding, arc welding and even metal casting.