Quick & Safe Intra-Oral Repair of a Fractured PMMA Prosthesis
Nemer Hussain, CDT
The words you don’t want to hear are, “Doc, my implant teeth broke” !! Unfortunately, this occurs way too often, usually resulting in a time-consuming and schedule-ruining situation. There are many different materials on the market to repair fractured prostheses in the office, however, most have disadvantages of poor strength, pungent odor, porosity, and difficulty in polishing. In addition, the fractured prosthesis is most commonly repaired outside the mouth, sometimes having to be sent back to the laboratory. This is often time-consuming and leads to patient dissatisfaction. However, there is another option without removing the fractured prosthesis. My favorite material is ProTech Plus Repair Acrylic, which I have found to have the ability to repair PMMA’s intraorally, without removing the prosthesis. This material has the following advantages:
- High density & high strength
- Self-Curing & Chemically Bonds
- No Bonding Agent Required
- Does Not slump
- Can be used for intra-oral repair
- Sets in 2 minutes with no porosity
- Long-Term Solution
Intra-Oral Repair Protocol
- Isolate the area of the prosthesis fracture
- Verify fractured prosthesis re-approximates together
- (Elective) Mechanical retention or undercuts can be used
- Dry thoroughly
- With a brush, salt/pepper monomer and polymer in fractured area
- Hold the prosthesis in place for approximately 2 minutes
- Polish with a rubber wheel
- Verify occlusion
