That chocolate bar, apple, or crunchy pork crackling may have been the culprit, but the underlying reasons for broken denture will be more difficult to explain.
Reasons your denture has broken at the most embarrassing moment
- You dropped the plate on a hard surface…it’s that simple.
Everything about the plate might be in perfect condition, but it shattered on impact. The acrylic resins that most dentures are made out of are actually quite brittle. Most complete dentures will not withstand a drop of approximately 1 meter, especially if the floor is ceramic tiles.
2. You were busy chewing away, and your upper denture split down the middle…ouch!
Have you noticed that in recent times, your denture is getting looser?
It could be that the alveolar bone and gums have shrunk since the denture was made. The plate will not change its shape, and you strangely find it “rocking” gently from side to side.
Most of the shrinkage occurs in the area underneath the teeth, hence the denture begins to rock much like a see-saw. Eventually, 3 meals a day become too much, and snap… it’s off to the dental technician.
3. The denture is getting old and worn. Imagine for a moment any man made prosthesis that is used for chewing, laughing, speaking and drinking all day, every day for many many years.
Naturally the acrylic thins out and the teeth wear flat. Snap… your now thin and frail denture is in many pieces.
4. Partial dentures create weak points for acrylic dentures.
Quite often acrylic partial dentures snap adjacent to the natural teeth. As the gums shrink the denture begins to pivot slightly on the natural teeth. This is a weak spot!
To answer the question “Why did my denture break?“
The unfortunate news is that although an urgent denture repair is required, it is likely that additional treatments will be required to prevent re-fracture.
All these treatments will be discussed in subsequent blogs.
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