Nothing brings a greater deal of stress to the teeth than damaged dentures. For those who rely on artificial teeth, regular repair is nothing new. They’re artificial so they’re prone to wear and tear, making it compulsory to ensure regular maintenance.
Other factors such as accidents and damaging impacts are also what increases the likelihood of a denture repair. So, what happens next? One thing to note is that denture problems should be addressed immediately to prevent complications.
Moving on, what are the steps taken to fix a broken denture? What needs to be done to restore and improve dental comfort? Read on as we find out.
Addressing The Various Denture Repair Procedures
Here, we look at the step-by-step restoration process and how you can have your artificial teeth looking and feeling good again.
- Realignment of Broken Denture
The first step is to realign the fractured dentures. The fastest way to do this is with the use of denture adhesives. As the name suggests, these are adhesives made for binding the broken teeth in place. They come in powders and pastes and ensure fast and proper binding.
These adhesives are used for treating both lingual and labial surfaces to ensure total realignment.
- Support and Retention of Dentures
Depending on the extent of damage and nature of the adhesive used, certain techniques are used to hold the denture in place. In most cases, a tongue blade is used. Now tongue blades are employed here because it helps create a bridge that holds the artificial teeth firmly.
That’s only achievable because the tongue blade can be split into two wooden splints and be attached to the occlusal region. It’s only when this is done that you can move on to creating a cast.
- Impression Cast Building
Once the retention is complete, a small amount of plaster is applied to the tissue part of the damaged item. This will help create an impression cast for the fracture. To achieve better results, the plaster is first placed on a solid surface and the denture is fixed onto the plaster. After it's been settled, the wooden splints are removed from the occlusal region.
- Fixing The Impression Cast
This next procedure is vital because you don’t want to lose the cast. With a lab knife, the dentures are removed from the cast. Then, the cast is trimmed to allow for perfect fitting. Once it’s been trimmed, the cast is rid of its residues through the action of an acrylic bur. The goal is to have 1-2 millimetres of space in between.
5. Cast Preparation and Denture Fitting
The last crucial step involves the use of foil liquid, liquid monomer, powder polymer, and petroleum jelly. These are applied in the order stated, each one after the previous has dried up. As soon as the acrylic hardens, the denture is taken out of the cast and polished. They're crosschecked for proper alignment, sharp ridges, porosity, and smooth edges.
Denture Repair and the Gratifying Comfort It Brings
It’s important to treat broken dentures as soon as they happen. It’s the only way to maintain optimal comfort and reduce pains caused by fractures.