If you are missing one or more permanent teeth in your mouth, then you are a potential candidate for denture treatment. Dentures are sometimes referred to as "fake" teeth, and they are in fact artificial replacements for lost teeth. These dental appliances are usually fitted to restore the patient's ability to speak and eat properly.
Dentures can be grouped into two categories — complete dentures and partial dentures. Complete dentures, which are also called full dentures, come as full sets of replacement teeth for the lower jaw, upper jaw, or both jaws. Unlike complete dentures, partial dentures are designed to replace one or just a few missing teeth.
Dentures are designed and built to be resilient, but they are not immune to damage. Here are some common reasons why many denture wearers end up seeing their dentist for emergency denture repairs.
Loose fitting dentures
As dentures age, they tend to become poorly fitting because of the stress caused by repetitive flexing while being worn. The continuous flexing of dentures usually occurs when the wearer eats, clenches or grinds their teeth. With time, this leads to the formation of small cracks on the dentures, increasing the risk of breakage.
Poorly fitting dentures can be fixed by performing denture relines. Denture relines involve reshaping the base of loose dentures to ensure they are secure, comfortable and tight fitting again. A denture reline can be referred to as "hard" or "soft," depending on the type of material used to perform the relining.
Broken dentures
Another common reason why dentures need repairing is because of being accidentally dropped on hard surfaces like ceramic bathroom sinks and tile floors. Though dentures may not crack or break immediately when dropped, repetitive impact from hitting hard surfaces can make a spot weaker, and this may eventually cause denture fracture. To prevent this, it is imperative for denture wearers to handle their artificial teeth carefully.
Broken dentures can be fixed, but not always. If a denture wearer breaks their dentures, they should see their dentist immediately. The dentist will check the severity of damage on the broken dentures and determine if repair is possible. People need to know that while broken dentures may be fixed, they will not be as strong as they were before.
Now that you are at home with the fact that loose-fitting and broken dentures can be repaired, you should feel more at ease about getting yourself dentures.
