Anyone who's dropped their dentures onto the floor or into the sink has felt their heart skip a beat as it slipped out of their hands.ﾠ Dentures are a significant investment of money and damaging them can be a pricey affair.ﾠ Luckily, for most minor to mild types of damage, denture repair can be completed with a simple visit to your dentist.
The most common types of damage are chipping and cracking.ﾠ These are obvious signs of damage that will reveal the fact that you have false teeth rather quickly.ﾠ Damage to the pink base can also cause tissue damage to your soft gums and surrounding oral tissue.ﾠ That's why you should always care for your dentures and handle them over a towel or sink full of water.
Your dentist will be most experienced with the kinds of damage that your dentures are likely to receive.ﾠ That's why your dentist should repair any sort of crack or chip.ﾠ He or she will ensure that the form and function of the dentures have not been significantly altered by the damage and ensuing repair.
The do-it-yourself repair kits that are available in most drug stores are simply too problematic for the average user.ﾠ Unless great care is taken, a self-repair can do more harm than good.ﾠ Most kits use a resin that is below the standards of medical-grade material.ﾠ The color is usually different than the source material, and a poor repair job can cause tissue damage if improperly applied.
So unless you are particularly skilled with manual craftwork, keep any broken pieces of your dentures on hand and bring everything to your dentist.ﾠ By carefully examining the pieces your dentist can determine if the denture is fixable, or if you require an entirely new set.
The repair time can vary depending on the seriousness of the damage.ﾠ A missing tooth, for instance, is easy to fix and can be replaced the same day right inside your dentist's office.ﾠ Things like cracks and fractures in areas that contact your gums or mouth tissue will require more extensive re-modeling work that may include impressions of your mouth and off-site repair work.
The condition of your dentures will also have an influence on repair time.ﾠ Older dentures that have been worn a lot may be more suitably replaced rather than repaired.
Don't waste your time and money with a self-repair.ﾠ Your dentist has more expertise, time, and materials to deal with every kind of damage you could conceivably do.
