With sites like Pinterest and YouTube making it easier than ever to learn how to perform a variety of household tasks without having to hire a professional, it’s understandable that you might want to try repairing your dentures yourself. After all, if it’s easy, why invest more money than you need to? But the truth is, DIY denture repair can be extremely dangerous to your prosthetics, and to your oral health. Here’s why if your false teeth have broken or lost their secure fit, it’s best to leave their restoration to the experts!
The Dangers of DIY
In recent years, many influencers and lifestyle bloggers have taken on the arduous task of do-it-yourself denture relining. The idea is that you can fix your prosthetics yourself, saving time and money in the process. Unfortunately, however, more often than not this results in worse damage, and in many cases requires the patient to completely replace their dentures due to irreversible overcorrections.
You see, in order to successfully reline your dentures, it’s important to have an outside perspective to ensure they look right. This is easy for a dentist to do because they not only have experience performing denture relines, but they also have that important perspective that is necessary to ensure balance.
Worse yet, it’s easy to add too much filling material, which often cannot be undone, rendering the dentures unusable, and requiring a replacement either way.
Other Denture DIY Don’ts
In addition to not relining your dentures yourself, be sure to avoid attempting other repairs on your own as well. In some cases, patients have attempted to fix broken teeth with things like household superglue, which is not biocompatible and can make you extremely sick.
Furthermore, leaving dentures in disrepair is just as dangerous, as cracked prosthetics can injure your soft tissues and make it easy for bacteria to entire the restoration and cause foul odor and even lead to oral infections.
What Should I Do if My Dentures are Damaged?
Whether they’ve become chipped, cracked, have loose or broken teeth, or they’ve stopped fitting securely in your mouth, the best way to safeguard your smile and your prosthetics is to see your dentist. They can determine the cause and extent of the damage as well as the best course of action to repair them. In some cases, a reline may do the trick, while in others it could be time for a complete replacement. Ultimately, however, a trained dental professional is the most qualified person to help.
Remember, having a properly fitting denture that’s in good repair is essential to making the most of your restorations. If yours stop performing at optimal levels, don’t wait for your regular six-month preventive exam and cleaning to get help. Speak to your dentist today about a denture reline, or discuss your options for replacing them, and soon you’ll have plenty of reasons to smile once again!
About Dr. Nguyen
Dr. Tony Nguyen earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry with honors at the University of Texas at Arlington, and his dental doctorate at the Nova Southeastern College of Dental Medicine. He is currently pursuing his Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry, completing over 150 hours of continuing education a year. He is also an active member of the American Dental Association, the Texas Dental Association, and the International Dental Implant Association, just to name a few. To schedule an appointment for dentures at Legacy Dentistry, visit our website or call us today at 972-723-1148.