Smiles Falling Apart: How Broken Dentures are a Dental Emergency

It goes without saying that dentures aren’t “real” teeth, so some people think they can’t have urgent problems. How could an issue with these prosthetics be bad for your smile? Still, the reality is that broken dentures are a dental emergency; they’ll threaten your quality of life if they aren’t fixed. That means you should quickly see a dentist for help when a denture breaks. To learn more about the matter, read these details from your Edison dental practice.

Dentures Break Sometimes

Dentures are fairly sturdy; they’d have to be to withstand your bite. Still, these prosthetic teeth can crack and fracture for a wide range of reasons.

On the one hand, some of these breaks stem from natural causes. A denture can fracture over time if it’s been used extensively and endured many stress cycles. Plus, some can chip and crack as they slowly become ill-fitting for you. Dentures don’t stop bone loss from missing teeth, so your mouth’s shape could put pressure on them as it changes.

On the other hand, dentures can also break from accidents. It wouldn’t be hard for them to crack from a fall, collision, or slip of the hands. They could even crack or fracture due to getting knocked around or mishandled.

A Broken Denture is a Dental Emergency

While they may seem harmless, broken dentures are a genuine dental emergency. Failing to get them fixed will damage your oral health and make life hard.

Keep in mind that dentures don’t work well when they break. Once they crack or fracture, the prosthetics can’t help you smile, chew, or speak properly. The devices can also cut the inside of your mouth with sharp edges, damaging soft tissues. Such problems drastically lower your quality of life when they go unaddressed.

How Would a Dentist Help?

Thankfully, well-trained dentists have several ways to fix broken dentures. These are:

• Reline the Dentures – A dentist could reline your dentures if they have a small break due to a poor fit.
• Denture Replacement – Many dentists will provide a replacement if your dentures break from poor materials or wear and tear.
• Get Implant Dentures – When dentures break from a shrinking jaw, dentists could help you switch to implant dentures. These new prosthetics would even stop (or reverse) jaw-related bone loss and boost your confidence.

Whatever people may tell you, broken dentures are a dental emergency. See your dental provider for help if and when your own pair breaks!

About the Practice

Signature Smiles is based in Edison, NJ. Led by our own Dr. Hiren Shah, our practice is a proud provider of great and comprehensive dental care. You’ll find that we offer preventive, cosmetic, and even restorative work, as well as urgent oral care for sudden incidents. So, our team can handle everything from dental checkups and crowns to broken dentures! For more details or to book a visit, please reach us on our website or by phone at (908)-834-8448.