How Denture Care Can Hold Off Costly Repairs

The quality of your dentures is mainly dependent on the kind of denture care you give them. If you're not careful, they can break and need to be repaired or replaced. The cost of this could easily surpass a thousand dollars, so you must do everything in your power to avoid these expensive fixes. Imagine this; you've had dentures for quite some time now. They don't fit as well as they used to, and sometimes they slip when you eat or talk. What do you do?

What is denture care anyway?

There are three stages to denture care: denture cleaning, denture repair, and, finally, denture replacement. Patients typically move through these stages in that order; however, there are cases where early damage to a denture will require sooner replacement. To stave off ware, most dentists recommend that patients perform denture cleaning at least once a week to avoid the costlier dentures repairs in the future.

Dentures are usually cleaned using denture polish, denture cleaning tablets, or denture cleaning systems. When dentures become worn or loose, denture repair is required. Dentures can also get worn down by denture cream and denture adhesives. As you can see, you must take proper care of your dentures so that they last as long as possible before getting repaired or replaced. A denture repair might not cost as much as replacement dentures, but the repairs are still expensive nonetheless.

How much does it cost?

Depending on demand, denture repairs can cost anywhere between $250-$500 for a single denture repair job. Most dentists recommend that you look at your dental plan to see if there's anything that will cover the cost of dentures repairs and replacements. However, dentists will charge a fee for the dentures repairs section of the plan, but it is still cheaper than paying out of pocket. Before you run to buy denture toothpaste or some other denture-cleaning product at the pharmacy store, be sure to confirm with your dentist to see if these particular products are compatible with your dentures. You don't want to end up making the dentures worse than when you started.

Tips for avoiding costly repairs

There are a few things you can do to make denture repair and replacement unnecessary. One is regularly brushing your teeth with toothpaste, flossing now and then, eating soft food that won't put too much pressure on the dentures, and avoiding heavy consumption of hot drinks which can stain your dentures. This will stop the buildup of plaque, tartar, and other bacteria, leading to tooth decay.

You also want to be on the lookout for signs that dentures are not fitting as well. This could mean they're worn out or need denture adhesives. Denture repair is cheaper than denture replacement, but it's still recommended that you invest in a good pair of dentures from the outset.

To avoid costly repairs, make sure that you take the time to properly care for your new set of dentures. It may seem like denture care is more complex, but that's not the case at all. If you take a bit of time to keep your dentures clean each week and have them checked by a dentist then they should last you several years.