Toothaches: Cause, Remedies and Long-term Solutions

Posted on: 8 January 2018

People who wear dentures rely heavily on such a small, delicate object. After all, without your dentures, eating becomes more difficult, your speech may be affected, and your confidence is sure to take a dip if noticeable gaps are left in your mouth.

Although denture design has improved to the point where they're tougher than they look, they're far from invincible. Eating certain foods, grinding your teeth, or accidentally dropping your dentures can cause them to break. Even just the natural changes in your mouth as you age can weaken and eventually damage dentures.

Because dentures are so important, people sometimes attempt various improvised fixes when they break. But many of these are not advisable, and here's why.

1. Superglue

A strong, quick-drying, water-resistant glue is surely perfect for making broken dentures as good as new, right? Actually, no, and there are some very good reasons why not.

First of all, superglue contains several toxic ingredients. It's easy to forget about this once the glue hardens and the strong smell goes away, but they're still in there. Keeping these chemicals in your mouth for long periods is really not a good idea.

The second problem with superglue is that it can give you false expectations of its ability. It's just not strong enough to put up with the pressure dentures have to sustain every day.

2. Readjusting the wires

Sometimes the wires that hold dentures in place can bend out of shape; sometimes it's your mouth that changes. Either way, trying to adjust them yourself is not a good idea.

It takes a lot of skill and knowledge to get those wires in the optimal position. Without really knowing what you're doing, you're likely to end up with uncomfortable dentures that pull on other teeth and could even cut or scratch the inside of your mouth.

3. Using a file

Dentists and denture technicians sometimes use files to make adjustments to uncomfortable dentures. Trying to do this yourself at home is a recipe for disaster.

Whether you're attempting to adjust the fit, get rid of uncomfortable sections, or adjust the size of the false teeth, you're likely to end up with more problems than you started with. Leave it to a professional instead.

4. Home denture repair kits

This is the one option on the list that shouldn't entirely be avoided. Denture repair kits are useful for emergencies, to get you through until you can arrange a proper repair.

However, you should always sort this out as soon as possible and don't rely on the kit for long-term fixes. They're not designed with this in mind, and they'll only let you down before long. For more information on dentures, contact a dentist.