Crunch! Uh oh. That was the sound of your denture breaking. And likely a trip to the emergency dentist in Camden, or your local Camden Denture Clinic. Denture breaks happen to the best of us through no fault of our own. Unless you’re chewing on ice daily, your denture breakage is likely due to wear and tear.
But, can denture cracks or chips be repaired? If so, what’s the process? Let’s explore the different types of denture chips or cracks that can occur and whether they can be repaired at an emergency dentist, or will need to be replaced by your denture clinic.
Keep Calm
It’s important that you remain calm in the immediate aftermath. If you haven’t swallowed the broken piece of your denture already, try to fish it out of your mouth and keep it to-hand in a zip-locked bag of some sort to prevent losing it, or further damage.
While it’s unlikely that your emergency dentist will be able to reattach it, having a frame of reference may be useful.
Inspect the Damage
Get in front of a mirror and look at how damaged your denture is. Is there a clean break-off, or a jagged edge? Is the denture intact except for a visible crack? Even if you can’t see a crack, it’s always best to get examined by a local denture clinic ASAP.
Is your denture still wearable, or does it cause discomfort to keep it in? If you have a break on both parts of full dentures, take them out and immediately call your emergency dentist in Camden and explain the situation. They may be able to fit you in for an emergency repair.
Temporary Solutions to Get By
If your denture is still usable without causing unbearable pain, there are a few temporary solutions for minor breaks that you can try, until you can see your Camden denture clinic.
Denture Reliners
It may be possible to reline your denture temporarily using a soft reliner. These reliners are made from silicone and can be found at many Australian pharmacies and are used to help hold together two pieces of denture material temporarily. Your denture clinic or an emergency dentist may recommend a brand of soft denture reliner to you. Call them first before heading to the pharmacy; make an appointment at the same time!
If your crack or break is significant, denture reliners will likely be ineffective. You’d be better off removing the denture entirely until you can see your denture clinic specialist.
Health Complications from Denture Breaks
It should go without saying but denture breaks, chips and cracks are no laughing matter. Broken or chipped dentures can cause the following health issues:
Breeding Grounds for Infection: Bacteria and debris from food and other toxins can begin to grow in any chips or cracks in your dentures, causing discomfort and leading to possibly serious infections.
Doing More Damage: Waiting to get an appointment at your denture clinic could mean that you do more damage to the already compromised structure of your denture. Once the acrylic or other denture material has been broken, it’s much more susceptible to additional breakages.
Added Discomfort: If you’ve ever broken a tooth, you know how painful it can be to try and eat with it, particularly if it’s a break near the root or has exposed the nerves of the gum. Similar discomfort can be felt if you break or chip a denture. Don’t try and tough out the pain: get it looked at sooner rather than later.
Difficulty Cleaning: Despite your best efforts to keep your broken dentures clean, you’ll likely miss food and debris that can become trapped in between the cracks in your denture. This will increase your risk of gum infections and other health complications.
Finding a Dentist for Emergency Denture Repair
You must seek professional help as soon as possible. Call your local Camden denture clinic and schedule an appointment on the day the break or chip occurs, or the next day they’re open.
Alternatively, if the break is serious enough that you can’t wait, contact your nearest emergency dentist and they should be able to get you in the same day. If your town doesn’t have an emergency dentist, you may have to travel to see one.
Tips to Prevent Future Breakages
There are a few steps you can take to prevent future breakages of your dentures.
Careful Handling
Be careful when handling your dentures. Ensure you pick them and put them down gently and avoid dropping them! Place them into your mouth in the morning and remove them carefully at night. Avoid pulling them or roughly putting them in your mouth. Mishandling your dentures can cause stress on your material, leading to breaks or stress cracks.
Store Your Dentures Properly
One of the most important life-givers to your dentures is to store them correctly at night. If your denture clinic has recommended a wet storage solution and warm water, ensure that you place them in this container or glass of water and solution each night. Or, if your dentures don’t require wet storage, ensure they’re in a clean, dry storage container overnight.
Regular Dental Checkups
If you only go to your dentist’s when you absolutely have to, then you’re not going enough. Particularly with dentures and your already compromised dental health, you should visit your dentist once every six months, or annually at a minimum. These regular checkups are crucial to ensuring that all is right with your dentures and that you don’t have any problems that need to be addressed.
Putting off dental visits will only worsen your oral health and wind up causing you more harm than good.
Final Thoughts
If you hear the dreaded crunching sound of your denture breaking or notice a crack in the material one day, you must see a denture clinic or an emergency dentist as soon as possible. If that’s not possible on the same day of the break, then take care of your dentures as best you can until you can see a professional. Accidents happen and things break, but don’t delay any treatment or fix for any longer than necessary.
If you’ve broken a denture, reach out to us at Aesthetic Dental & Denture Clinic and we’ll get you in as soon as possible to take a look and begin repairs to get you back to your smiling best!
