Types of Denture Repairs: When Same-day Repair is Appropriate
Getting dentures can be life-changing for someone missing all or several teeth in that they will restore their ability to speak, bite, and chew properly. This completely revitalizes the quality of life of such a person.
Dentures are an alternative to dental implants and bridges and are the cheapest option among the three. These removable oral appliances consist of prosthetic teeth attached to a removable supporting structure.
How Do Dentures Get Damaged?
Modern-day dentures are made and designed to last for a long time. Nonetheless, they remain susceptible to breaks and cracks. Dentures can break due to several reasons. Here are some of the causes:- Not fitting – Wearing dentures that don’t fit well in your mouth causes uneven distribution of bite forces causing the appliance to rock in your mouth. Over time, the rocking causes the denture to weaken and break.
- Banging/dropping – Accidentally knocking off your dentures against the tap or dropping the dentures in the sink when cleaning them is a top cause of damaged dentures. The impact is usually enough to cause a weak spot which may lead up to your denture breaking a few months later.
- Isolated teeth – Having isolated teeth risks breaking off your denture. Although the denture is designed to hold the tooth, constant chewing may add pressure to it, causing it to break off.
- Clasps breaking – Clasps found in dentures are commonly made from gold or stainless steel. These clasps help retain the dentures by securing them around natural teeth. Regularly inserting and removing the denture puts pressure on the clasps and can cause them to break.
- Gradual wear and tear – Just like all other man-made materials, the materials used to make dentures, too, weaken over time. This later results in damaged dentures, especially if the denture is more than five years old.
3 Main Types of Denture Repair
Before becoming a denture wearer, you need to know that dentures will gradually become loose-fitting or break over time; hence you may need to go to the dentist for repairs or a replacement. A damaged or fractured denture can distress the wearer and cause physical discomfort. The dentist may suggest three main types of repairs done to dentures in Oak Lawn, IL, depending on the nature of the damage. They are:- Denture Realigning
- Denture Rebase
- Denture Adjustment