7 Signs You Need A Denture Replacement or Repair
Dentures require proper at-home care in order to extend their life for as long as possible while getting the most benefit for your money. If your dentures are not fitting well, are damaged, or you need denture replacement, it’s important not to delay. Putting off professional dental care and maintenance can not only shorten the life of the appliance; it can also lead to more serious oral health issues.
Let’s discuss denture repairs and when it may be more appropriate for denture replacements.
Broken Dentures
While modern dentures are constructed from advanced resins that are much more durable than those made from traditional denture acrylic, they are not indestructible and will break if dropped or abused. That’s why it is so important to use special care when handling and storing dentures. Always remove your dentures over a basin of water or several thicknesses of towels to minimize the impact should they slip from your hands. Take special care to place dentures in a sealed container out of the reach of children and pets when they are not being worn. Because dentures carry the scent of their owners, animals love to chew on dentures and will often render them unrepairable.
If you haven’t attempted to self-repair your denture, it’s often possible for a dental professional to replace missing teeth or restore the base material to like-new condition, saving you both time and money. Denture wearers often ask, “Can I repair my denture at home?” You certainly can, but it is not advised or recommended.
Using home repair kits and household adhesives, such as Super Glue, usually cause more damage to the denture material, necessitating the need for denture replacement rather than a simple repair.
Cracked Dentures
From removable partial dentures to complete dentures, sometimes dentures develop cracks or chipped acrylic. While you still may be able to wear the dentures, cracks often propagate, and the pressure from chewing will eventually cause the denture to break at the most inopportune moment. Why not prevent disaster by having the denture repaired preventatively, allowing you to take care of the issue on your own schedule.
Unaddressed cracks can lead to tissue irritation that makes it difficult to chew. If you notice that your denture is rough or is catching sensitive mouth tissues or your tongue while eating, it is time for a dental visit to determine the cause. Often cracked dentures can be restored for minimal cost, extending the life of your dentures.
Difficulty Chewing
One of the primary purposes of dentures is to restore your ability to eat. There is always an initial adjustment period when you first get a new set of dentures. However, if you have worn the same dentures for a period of time and are now unable to chew effectively, it means the dentures need to be adjusted to improve the bite. A denturist will evaluate the contact between the two dentures or the denture with your remaining natural teeth and adjust the denture accordingly to equalize the bite.
If your denture is old or worn, it may be necessary to have denture replacements in order to improve the bite and your ability to chew. Dentures have an average lifespan of 5 to 10 years. Many people wear the same dentures far beyond this life cycle and, as a result, begin having issues with comfort or eating. Your dentist will recommend new dentures to solve your chewing difficulties when an adjustment does not suffice.
General Discomfort
Well-fitting dentures should not hurt or cause discomfort. Any discomfort, such as uneven pressure, soreness, pain, or looseness, means that the dentures don’t fit correctly. With time, tissue and bone structure changes which causes your dentures to no longer fit comfortably.
Minor issues may be able to be resolved with a simple adjustment to relieve pressure spots that cause generalized discomfort. A reline may be advised to improve the adaptation of the denture base to the contour of your palate and gums. If an adjustment or reline does not solve the problem, you may need to have denture replacements in order to have dentures that you can comfortably wear.
Changed Facial Appearance
Aging is a phenomenon that gradually happens to everyone. No one is immune to it. People don’t look the same as they did 10 or 20 years ago without receiving surgical intervention. For complete denture wearers, the shape of your gums and bone changes each year. This means that dentures that supported your facial muscles and lips four or five years ago may no longer provide the same degree of support as they originally did.
If you notice sagging tissue, wrinkles, a sunken look in your jawline or cheeks, or lips that seem to have disappeared, denture replacements are the best way to restore the missing support and improve your smile for a more youthful look. This is one of the main reasons that dental professionals advocate for their patients to wear implant-supported dentures. Dental implants help to maintain bone levels by reducing the rate of bone resorption, allowing you to maintain a more youthful facial appearance for a longer period of time.
Loose or Slipping Dentures
If you have been wearing dentures comfortably for a long period of time and suddenly notice that your dentures do not fit well any longer, it means that the shape of your bone and gums have changed. This is quite common among denture wearers and indicates that it’s time for a denture reline.
A reline fills in the gaps where your denture no longer fits snugly against your palate, gum tissue, and/or remaining teeth, making the denture fit more securely. While a reline doesn’t change the appearance of your denture, it certainly can improve the fit and extend the life of the denture without the need for denture replacements or excessive denture adhesive.
Bad Breath
Dentures require daily care and cleaning to fully remove the plaque, bacteria, and food debris that contribute to bad breath. The same applies to cleaning the inside of your mouth and tongue. However, if you notice that you have bad breath even after taking proper care of your mouth and dentures, you may want to have your dentures checked.
Stains and tartar buildup can be the result of pitted acrylic, hairline cracks within the acrylic base, or voids around the necks of teeth. These areas allow bacteria that produce foul odors to proliferate, which contributes to bad breath. Your dental professional will use an ultra-sonic cleaner to remove tartar and stains from your dentures and repair any cracks or fissures that trap toxins, restoring your denture to an improved condition that is easier for you to care for at home.
When It’s Time for a Repair
Whether your denture is broken, uncomfortable, or has minor pitting, using a professional denture repair service can extend the life of your denture and restore it to like-new condition. Trained technicians understand your concerns and will take great care to make lasting repairs to your denture teeth and base using standardized methods and materials.
Repairing dentures involves more than using denture adhesives to glue two pieces of a broken denture back together. Good repairs require creating a model or index to secure the parts of your denture in their proper alignment while removing the material immediately adjacent to the damaged area.
The void created is filled with new acrylic and cured using both heat and pressure to ensure a long-lasting repair that will hold up under chewing forces.
Benefits of Mail-In Denture Repair
If you are unable to travel to the dental office, European Denture Center’s Rapid Repair mail-in service is a godsend. For denture breaks and simple repairs, a quality repair can be as easy as 1,2,3,4. Whether you have conventional dentures, partial dentures, or another replacement teeth type, it really is denture repair on your schedule.
If you have a more complicated repair or the dental appliance is broken into multiple pieces, take a digital photo of your appliance showing all of the pieces. Upload and send the photo to us electronically using our online contact form. To save time, please do not ship the denture to us until we have contacted you. No digital camera? Give us a call at 866.428.0505.
Although we will attempt to address your every concern, please understand that denture repair is not an option in every case. Depending upon the type of break and the condition of your denture, artificial teeth replacements may be necessary.
Superior Denture Replacements at European Denture Center
European Denture Center is an experienced provider of high-quality dentures. Because we have an onsite lab, denture repair and reline services are a top priority. We understand your hesitation when it comes to entrusting your denture to someone else for help. Rest assured that we want you to be satisfied with our services.
We take the same care with our repairs and relines as we do with all of our new dentures. Our Rapid Repair mail-in service allows you to have your dentures repaired without traveling to our office. Denture repair services when you need them most!