Forty million Americans are missing all their teeth. Hundreds of millions more are missing at least one tooth.
Missing teeth can affect your confidence, speech, and chewing ability. It could also increase your risk of tooth sensitivity and gum disease.
That’s why it’s essential to learn how to fix broken dentures at home. Otherwise, inaction could eventually cause your resulting discomfort to intensify.
So keep reading for our dentures guide on repairs. Below, we’ll list the steps necessary to fix your broken dentures.
Schedule an Appointment
Regardless of any denture repairs you perform at home, see a dentist for long-term denture fixes. Call a dentist and schedule an appointment as soon as you realize your dentures are broken.
If you have broken dentures and live in Lexington, KY, check these denture services out! You’ll receive more attentive, effective dental care by using a denture specialist. They could also offer priceless denture maintenance tips to minimize future dangers of your dentures breaking again.
Purchase a Denture Repair Kit
Without a denture repair kit, there’s little viable way to fix broken dentures at home. Fortunately, these kits are available at most drugstores or online. If your dentures only need minor fixes, you could do so after a short trip out.
While you wait for your next dentist’s appointment, don’t wait to buy and use one of these kits. Within a few days’ wait, fixed dentures could help you chew food and communicate as needed. Waiting could otherwise increase risks of:
- Gum disease
- Gum injury
- Sores
- Bacterial infection
Understand that repair kits will only produce temporary results. But these results will keep your dentures together until your next appointment. So don’t cancel your appointment just because you use this temporary solution!
Collect Broken Pieces
Collect the broken pieces as soon as you discover your dentures have broken. This way, your dentist will have everything they need to reassemble them. For those using a denture repair kit right away, quickly collecting the broken pieces ensures you can complete your repairs.
Create an Efficient Workspace
Also, it’s essential to be in a well-lit area indoors and minimize anything disrupting your workspace. Good lighting ensures you can see and confidently operate on the details of your work.
Remove interruptions that could physically disturb your workspace. These interruptions include running children, strong winds, and more. Doing so protects your workspace and maintains its organization.
Otherwise, pieces can move around and fall on the floor, causing you to lose parts of your dentures. All this impedes your success in completing your repairs.
Use Materials Correctly
It’s also essential that you use a minimal amount of resin. Use too much, and the excess resin can create an abrasive layer on your dentures. The resin could cut your mouth and risk pain, gum disease, sores, and more.
Only use the bonding material the kit provides. Attempting to use something different, like superglue, will result in you swallowing its toxic chemicals. The bonding material in kits is instead formulated to be non-toxic, posing a minimal danger to your health when consumed.
Be Precise
Incorrectly aligned dentures can also affect your jaw placement. This can cause discomfort and pain until they’re correctly aligned during your next dental appointment.
Misaligned dentures might also contain gaps, which may loosen smaller denture pieces. You could choke or swallow on the piece if they loosen too much. Even if not, you’ll definitely have to reattempt your denture repairs.
So when finally reassembling your dentures, ensure correct denture alignment. Taking the time to be precise will save time you’d otherwise spend repairing your dentures again.
Do Not Use Them While Broken
Do not wear broken dentures. There’s a chance you could swallow small particles of the denture materials without knowing.
The microparticles could also injure your mouth, worsening your risk of oral health complications. Wearing broken dentures could also break them further, potentially increasing the time and finances required to fix them.
Dry Repaired Dentures Completely
If the bonding material/resin hasn’t completely dried on your dentures, it can’t hold your dentures’ pieces together. Without being held together, the pieces break apart again and move around in your mouth. Then, you’re at risk of choking on or swallowing these pieces.
It also means you have to repair your dentures again. So always make sure your dentures are completely dry before using them again. Since most denture repair kits promise results within an hour, waiting shouldn’t be too difficult!
Preventing Broken Dentures
All dentures are subject to the usual wear and tear. Still, there are pointers patients can use to prevent their dentures from breaking again.
First, it’s important not to keep them out of your mouth or a denture solution for long. These solutions exist to both disinfect and moisten your dentures. If they dry out, they become brittle and break apart easily.
Buildup can make dentures harder to clean, so always rinse your mouth and clean your dentures after every meal. But when cleaning your dentures, you must clean gently with a dedicated denture toothpaste, so you don’t apply too much pressure and break them.
Also, keep seeing a dedicated denture specialist. Regular checkups will ensure that your dentures are functioning optimally. They’ll also provide oral health tips specific for denture users that only a specialized dental professional can provide.
A Guide on How to Fix Broken Dentures at Home
Learning how to fix broken dentures at home is an invaluable skill. So come back to this guide if you break your dentures! It will provide crucial guidance during your moment of crisis.
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