Dentures are strong but can break. If one of the teeth on your plate breaks off and you accidentally swallow it, then you may think it's gone forever. Denture technicians may, however, be able to reattach the tooth if you can retrieve it.
Getting a swallowed tooth back isn't pleasant; however, you should check that the tooth comes through your system. If you've just swallowed the tooth, then making yourself vomit may bring it back up again. If you swallowed it a while ago, then you may have to wait for nature to take its course at the other end of your body.
So once you've got the tooth back, how can you tell if it can be stuck back on your dentures?
What Condition Is The Tooth In?
A journey through your bodily functions won't harm the tooth — though you may want to clean it up afterwards — but the actual breakage may have affected it.
If the tooth came off the denture cleanly and in one piece, then there is more chance that it can be stuck back on. However, if the tooth is broken or broke off with some of the denture's plate attached to it, then reattachment is harder.
Your denture clinic may be able to put everything back together, but you may have to accept that there will be an increased risk that the denture will break again. If the tooth is beyond fixing, then your technician can fit a new tooth to the denture.
Why Did The Tooth Break Off?
Sometimes, denture teeth break just because you ate something hard or sticky that caught the denture at the wrong angle. Other times, teeth break off their plates because there is an underlying problem with the denture itself.
For example, if your dentures are old, then they may be reaching the end of their useful life. The denture may just have got weakened enough for the tooth to fall off.
Or, if you've dropped your denture in the past, it may have been living with tiny cracks or fractures that you didn't see. The tooth may have come off because these cracks or fractures have got worse over time.
If your denture isn't fit for reuse, then there may not be any point trying to put the old tooth back or to fit a new one. You may need a new set of dentures. To find out what your options are, make an appointment with your denture clinic.
