The longer you have your dentures, the more likely they are to show signs of damage. While you may look after your dentures well, so they're generally in good nick, they may start to get scrapes or scratches on them. Sometimes, over vigorous brushing with a hard toothbrush, using regular toothpaste instead of denture-friendly products or even minor drops or knocks can damage the surface of your plates and teeth.
This may not seem a big enough deal to have your dentures looked at or repaired. However, any damage to dentures can cause problems down the line. Why should you have scrapes or scratches repaired?
1. Protect Your Gums
A denture surface should be smooth and even. If your dentures have scrapes or scratches, then these areas may chafe against your gums and soft areas in your mouth. If the rubbing is bad enough, then your gums or soft tissues may get damaged. Plus, dentures that rub are uncomfortable to wear and may be harder to keep in place if your mouth is sore.
2. Keep Bacteria at Bay
It's harder to keep dentures clean if their surfaces aren't smooth. Bits of food can get embedded into scrapes or scratches. While these bits are easy to clean off a smooth area, they can be harder to completely dig out of a hollow in the surface.
If you leave food in a scrape or scratch, then bacteria could also get into the area. This could give you bad breath or even oral infections like thrush.
3. Make Your Dentures Last Longer
While a minor scrape or scratch may not compromise the strength of your dentures, you may have problems if you have large areas of scraping or scratches that go deep. Dentures are made from strong stuff; however, they can break if parts of them are damaged. For example, if you have a big scratch on a denture and then accidentally drop it, then the scratch may make the denture snap into pieces.
If you're having problems with your dentures like bad breath or chafing, then make sure your dentist knows about it. It's also worth having your dentist examine scrapes or scratches even if your dentures aren't giving you any problems.
Having your dentures repaired to smooth out rough areas or to fill in hollowed out spots could make things more comfortable for you. It also helps keep your dentures in one piece for longer.
