Unintentional damage or natural wear can result in a partial denture needing to be repaired. Mabel Dental Lab provides repairs for partial dentures and other dental appliances. Here are several steps for how to handle emergency repairs for partial dentures:
1. Examine Partial Dentures
Scheduling follow-up appointments for patients with partial dentures allows dentists to check the fit and condition of their dentures. These appointments create an opportunity for patients to bring damaged partials in for repair. Examine your patient’s denture to see how it has been damaged and what kind of repairs need to be made. Possible damage includes cracks or fractures in the acrylic base, warping, a loose or broken clasp, loose teeth, and chips. Determine if you can repair or adjust the denture in your office or if the appliance needs to be sent to a dental laboratory. In cases of severe damage, the denture will need to be replaced. Dentures should be replaced every five to seven years to confirm they remain functional and safe for the user.
Address the denture repairs as soon as possible to prevent patients from developing bite alignment issues or oral health concerns. Patients should not continue to wear the damaged dentures, as this can result in tissue irritation and worsening of existing oral health conditions. For complicated repairs or overflow work, send the partial to a dental lab. Mabel Dental is a full-service dental laboratory based in Ohio that partners with dentists and dental labs across the U.S. We assist labs with overflow work to give patients functional oral appliances as quickly as possible.
2. Find a Dental Laboratory
Check to see if your dental laboratory partner offers the types of repairs your patients’ dentures require. If you are not partnered with a dental lab, look for one that provides repair services for the brand and material of the partials. Partials may include metal frameworks, such as the SLM or Dentsply Vitallium® 2000 frameworks. Flexible partials, such as TCS® Unbreakable flexible partials, use thermoplastic frameworks. Find a lab that offers metal, acrylic, or flexible partial repair for partials as needed.
Mabel Dental offers acrylic, metal, and flexible denture repairs. This includes relining or rebasing dental appliances and repairing fractures and metal clasps on partials. If the patient has lost additional teeth, we can add teeth to their partials. We can also add flexible, metal, or Itsoclear clasps to partial dentures. Some dental laboratories use laser welding to repair partials with metal and plastic components. This method seals the cracks while protecting the device’s base and prosthetic teeth. Mabel Dental’s laser welding technicians join parent metals naturally and without soldering. After realigning fractures, we reapply a polymer to cover the initial damage and bond the material.
3. Check Turnaround Times
Before sending the dentures to a lab for repair, check the turnaround and shipping time to give the patient or client an accurate timeline. Check to see if the lab offers rush or same-day services for emergency repairs. Some labs may require advanced scheduling to provide shipping estimates.
Our average turnaround rate for simple acrylic fracture repairs is one to two business days, while metal repairs require five business days. Allow six to eight business days for flexible partial repair services. Mabel Dental offers limited same-day repair services and rush services for an additional fee. Rush services should be scheduled before sending the case. To schedule repairs, contact our team directly.
4. Pack and Ship the Dentures
When shipping the denture, first fill out a prescription form for the case. Pack the case in foam or bubble wrap and enclose the prescription form. Secure the contents and make sure they will not shift during transit. This protects the dentures from acquiring more damage during shipping.
If a new physical impression is needed for the repair, ship it to the lab in the same box as the damaged dentures. If you are sending a digital impression, send it to us directly using your practice’s scanner. You can also upload files to Mabel Dental on our file upload page. We accept raw files, so you are not required to convert them. Our cutoff time for sending digital impressions is 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. We will work on the case the next business day if we receive a file after that time.
Mabel Dental offers shipping labels and prescription forms for our smile partners. Shipping labels and forms can be downloaded and printed from our website. We also provide case boxes and partner with a third-party courier service that serves most of Ohio. Check our website to see if you are eligible for our courier service.
Repairs for Partial Dentures at Mabel Dental
Our Smile Partners can check the status of their cases through our online DDX portal. We prioritize consistent turnaround times and on-time deliveries, helping our partners decrease their chair time. Mabel Dental also provides high-quality repairs and dental restorations, including removable and fixed restorations. Call or email us today to learn more about our partial dentures and how to become one of our Smile Partners.
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