Has your patient returned to your clinic with their repaired denture, because it’s fractured again?
When you send the denture pieces to the Dentaltech lab for repair, we can’t really assess what is the actual cause of the break and resolve that. If we just fix the break, we fix the symptoms and not the reason for the break.
Therefore, the first step is to use a temporary stick like strong yellow wax and try it in the mouth to see if it fits nicely.
For tooth addition to existing denture cases, always send us an in situ impression along with the antagonist so we can check the bite position and make sure the denture won’t crack because of the lateral movement!
The 3 main causes of a broken denture that need to be addressed, to ensure the break does not occur again:
1. The Denture can crack because it requires reline
As the gums shrink over time, space will occur between the gums and the denture. This space will create more pressure in the centre area of the denture. The force of chewing will cause the denture to flex, which in turn will cause the denture to break.
2. The Denture can crack because the teeth are worn
When the denture teeth are worn down, it can isolate the force of the bite pressure into certain areas of the denture, causing it to break in those areas. This is demonstrated when the back teeth are worn flat and most of the chewing moves to the front teeth instead. As most of the pressure is on the front teeth now, the denture will tend to crack through the front. We recommend that Dentures should be replaced every 5-7 years.
3. A tooth pops out because the bite is off
When the rear teeth are worn down, it can put uneven force on the front teeth causing them to pop out. A simple bite adjustment may be all that your patient needs.
Tip: Talk with your patient about their habits, if eating nuts or anything that has a hard peel, or habits like chewing on a pen or arms of their glasses while thinking or talking.
Please remember that the denture material does not break on its own, breaks usually happens because they are impacted by external influences and it is all about physics 🙂
Contact our friendly team on 01 555 4781 or info@dentaltechlab.ie and we will assist you with your cases.
DentalTech Lab Team
