Broken Dentures: Repair or Replace? A Guide

For those who rely on dentures, a breakage is a major emergency. It affects your ability to eat, speak, and smile confidently. Dentures can break for many reasons: dropping them in the sink, wear and tear over years, or changes in the shape of your jawbone causing a poor fit.

The good news is that most denture breaks can be repaired. The bad news is that trying to fix them yourself can ruin them forever.

Types of Denture Damage

• Midline Fracture: The denture snaps cleanly in half down the middle. This is common in upper dentures that flex too much due to bone loss.
• Broken Tooth: A single artificial tooth chips or falls off the pink base.
• Broken Clasp: On partial dentures, the metal clip that holds it to your natural teeth snaps.

Repair vs. Replace

Repairable: Clean fractures where the pieces fit back together perfectly like a puzzle are usually repairable. We use cold-cure acrylic resin to chemically bond the pieces back together, often stronger than before. This can typically be done same-day or within 24 hours.

Replacement Needed: If the denture has shattered into many small pieces, if the pink acrylic is old and brittle/discoloured, or if the breakage happened because the denture no longer fits your gums, a repair will just break again. In these cases, a new denture is the best investment.

The "Superglue" Warning

We cannot stress this enough: DO NOT GLUE YOUR DENTURE.

Superglue dissolves the acrylic material of the denture, distorting the edges. Once you glue it, the pieces will never fit together perfectly again. This often makes a professional repair impossible, forcing you to buy a brand new set. Furthermore, superglue chemicals are toxic and taste terrible.

What to Do

If your denture breaks:

1. Collect all the pieces.
2. Don't wear it (wearing a broken denture can cut your mouth).
3. Call us immediately.

We work with skilled dental technicians in London who prioritize emergency repairs. We can often get your smile back to you within hours.