Should You Have Your Denture Repaired or Replaced?

Dentures can be quite a large investment for anyone, especially when it comes to their time. Our Clear Lake dentist understands that replacing your appliance every time an issue comes up isn’t ideal. Luckily there are several scenarios in which a denture can be repaired to like-new condition, without paying the cost of a new one.

The following are a few different scenarios that, at one point or another, you may experience with your denture ー along with our recommendation on whether you can have the plate repaired or replaced.

Adding Teeth To A Partial Denture

If you already have a partial denture and need to have another tooth extracted, you may be able to have it added to your existing appliance rather than needing to have an entirely new one made.

Most of the time we can set this procedure up in the following manner:

First, we would take an impression of the partial while you’re wearing it. and send the impression and partial to our dental laboratory. The lab technician will add a new tooth to the plate, ensuring that the new tooth is the same shade as the others and cut from the same mold, so that it looks like it belongs with the other teeth. On average, your finished partial will be sent back to us within a few days.

Once the appliance arrives, you’ll return to our Clear Lake dentist’s office to have your tooth removed and given the remodeled partial.

When a tooth is added, it’s well reinforced, so you can rest assured knowing that your appliance is still stable and that you’ll be able to keep it just as long as you had originally intended.

Some partials aren’t designed in such a way that allows us to add teeth to them. So, if you’re getting a new one, determining whether you want to have the ability to add teeth to it in the future should be discussed prior to deciding which design to go with.

Loose Dentures

When you have teeth removed, the gum tissue surrounding the extraction sites shrinks over time, and the jaw bone in that site does as well. Since a new denture is custom fit to the specific shape of your mouth at the time it’s being made, it’s common for the appliance to feel loose after some weeks have passed since the removal of your teeth.

Luckily when this occurs, we can perform a simple reline of your denture. Meaning we can add acrylic to the inside of the plate and mold it specifically to your mouth. After a reline is complete your denture will feel just as snug as it did when you first had it made in the first place.

Worn Teeth on Denture

The teeth that are used on a denture are made from acrylic resin material. Though they are strong and last for many years, someone who grinds their teeth badly ー or someone who’s simply had their denture for a long time ー may notice that the teeth are worn down.

Natural tooth enamel and dental restorations like crowns are tougher than the teeth on a denture. So over time as your top and bottom teeth touch, the ones made from acrylic will wear down before the other ones do. Typically, it’s all the teeth that are worn equally, so it’s often best and more economical to have an entirely new denture made, rather than just replacing all of the teeth. 

Implant Snap-on Dentures

A snap-on denture is an appliance that has washers on the inside of it, which correspond to the implants that are in your jaw bone. The implants have an attachment that extends past the gum and the washers on the denture snap around these posts.

Over time, with the repetitive insertion and removal of the appliance, the washers will wear out. Luckily, replacing them is simple and inexpensive. Though the procedure does need to be performed by a dentist due to the special supplies and tools that are needed. So, if your snap-on denture isn’t staying in as tightly as it once did, then just call to schedule an appointment to have the washers replaced in a matter of minutes.

Dentures in Clear Lake, Texas

If you have a partial or full denture that needs some attention, we would be glad to take a look at it for you and see what could be done to repair it. If a new one is what you need, then we can take care of that for you as well. Call Rosas Family Dentistry today and let’s get your denture back to fitting and feeling brand new.