First of all, don’t panic. Second of all don’t run for super glue or gorilla glue. These glues are water soluble which means, they dissolve in wet environments. Third, you will want this professionally repaired.
Make sure you find the tooth, or even the part of the tooth that has broken and put it in a plastic baggie or a small container. Don’t put it in a napkin or paper towel. People generally will throw away tissues and paper forgetting they placed the tooth in there.
Most denture teeth are made of a type of plastic that will stick directly to the pink plastic base. This is why it is important not to try to use glue to place it in yourself. Commercially available glues will not hold up long term and the tooth will fall off again.
Most of the time, if you have the denture tooth, it can be placed back more easily and less expensively as long as the fit is perfect. This is why it is so important to not place glue in it yourself.
If you cannot find the tooth, the repair will be more expensive. A new tooth will have to be added and there is a very difficult time finding a true color and shape match especially in a denture that has been worn for a while. Fitting another one in will take a bit more time.
Call a few dentists and see if they can do an on site repair. Full dentures are different than partial dentures. Some dentists can repair it themselves in about an hour. Some dentists will need to have it sent to a lab and it may be the same day or a few days depending upon where you are located. Some dentists will need to see the denture to determine if it is something they can do. Some dentists have an on site laboratory technician to do it while you wait.
I personally can do this if I the patient comes in with the tooth as I have described on a full denture. Partial dentures are trickier for me and it is something I do not do on a routine basis.
Most dentists will not keep a stock of denture teeth in the office. If they are like me, the teeth they have are a random assortment and generally won’t find the perfect color, shape or size.
There are repair kits you can buy in the drug store. Unless your ability to work with your hands is great, I would caution against this. It is hard to get the perfect fit and smoothness of the repair. If the repair isn’t smooth, your lip and tongue may get irritated. They do have sandpaper in the repair kit. Most people have complained about the taste for even weeks after they have repaired it, the difficulty upon the use of it and that it is difficult to use and keep the repair in place. They usually wind up making a bigger mess for whoever eventually repairs it and it will be more costly.
So, when you do get to the dentist office, please please, please do not take your denture out and try to hand it to the front office staff like you would your credit card. They are not prepared to handle this. Ask them what their protocol is for repairs. Make sure the denture is clean on the inside and out before you show it to anyone.
Denture tooth repairs can be a simple fix if the dentist is prepared to deal with them but every dentist has a different skill and comfort level.
Posted by Linda King DDS
Dr. Linda's Sweet Spot Smiles 
Sep 30, 2013 @ 06:01:34
Hi Dr Sweet-I had left a message on your site but realize you are in Georgia and while searching I was looking for a dentist in Myrtle Beach.I just wanted to touch base so I wouldn’t waste your valuable time-sorry for the inconvenience
Oct 01, 2013 @ 19:38:44
I hope you got the information you are looking for. Thank you for reading my blog
Oct 06, 2013 @ 13:10:11
Why are you not comfortable to repair a partial denture or a tooth that came off a partial denture? You do feel you are able to take an impression of a human mouth do you not?
Oct 07, 2013 @ 09:52:03
This is a good question. A lot of times there is not quite enough acrylic to place the tooth back into place perfectly. The security of performing of an in office repair comes from having predictable results. Taking an impression is the least of the complications replacing a tooth on a partial denture. Single teeth can be tricky especially if the metal substructure does not have enough of the pink plastic to secure it without it moving. Thank you for the question.
Mar 12, 2014 @ 01:40:43
What do I use to keep my dentures to stick to my gum
Mar 13, 2014 @ 22:56:49
There are different brands of adhesives depending on preferences. They come in a powder, gel and pad form depending upon how much hold you need
Sep 26, 2015 @ 15:53:55
I just finished eating a piece of bacon and a tooth in the front broke off. I have the tooth and it fits right back into the same space. Can I buy something to fix it since I can’t really afford to have it repaired?
Dec 19, 2015 @ 21:07:28
It is probably not a good idea to glue anything back into place. Super glue or gorilla glue were not meant for human consumption. You should see a local dentist about the possibility of having it repaired.
Dec 19, 2015 @ 00:54:52
I got my dentures put in September ’15. They barely fit because of all the swelling, so the dentist shaved them down. After the swelling went down they were very loose, but I can keep them in with adhesive. In October ’15 one of the teeth came out. One week later another (both were in the back). I took them back and the dentist shaved them down. In November ’15 another one came out. I had it sent in to get fixed and they came back right before Thanksgiving. Just yesterday another one came out. I believe they are faulty. Is there a problem with my dentures? Should I try to get new ones? Thank you for your time.
Dec 19, 2015 @ 21:06:01
Gary: There might have been a problem with how the teeth fit together with your bite accounting for the breaking off of the teeth. If your dentures are the ones the dentist placed right after extractions, there will be problems with the fit until you reach 90% of the healing. I would probably invest in a new set with a dentist who has very good reviews of performing dentures after you heal.
Apr 19, 2016 @ 12:18:51
That you for your help, I’m going to see if denture office can help me as soon as it open, I was going put supper gue on it my first thought, once again thank you so much
Apr 20, 2016 @ 11:21:21
I am glad I could help A lot of people are in the same situation.
Jun 09, 2016 @ 20:15:09
Until recently, I never knew you could lose a denture tooth.. Especially on a set of dentures less than 1 year old! Boy, was I shocked. I go to a dental clinic, so they couldn’t fix it there and had to send it out. 8 days without teeth, and $200 later to glue on one tooth, I have my dentures back.
Jun 09, 2016 @ 22:04:22
Yes, you can lose a tooth off of a denture. Some dentists do have denture teeth in the office and others may not have the color or correct fit. glad you got your teeth back.
Apr 26, 2017 @ 22:13:47
My tooth came of my dental partial how. Can o repair it over night
Apr 27, 2017 @ 10:17:58
Alisa, I wouldn’t repair it yourself. Partial dentures can be tricky to replace the tooth. It will most likely come off again if you try to put it back yourself. Find a dentist in your area who can do same day repairs. You may need to have an impression made. Good luck
Oct 19, 2017 @ 21:59:57
I had a front tooth fall off my upper plate. I took it into a dentist office and he repaired it and charged me. 2 days later it fell off again. I called the office and they told me the dentist was out of the office until Monday and they would call me and advise me sometime on Monday. I don’t have a 2nd plate – is there a temporary thing I can do so I can wear and use my upper until I get the call??? The void of the tooth scratches the inside of my mouth. Is the dentist liable to fix the repair he did?
Oct 22, 2017 @ 17:06:52
There is always dental wax that you can place inside of the denture where the tooth is missing to help with the scratchiness. I would assume that if the repair did not work, there may be some sort of warantee in order to redo the treatment as prescribed
Oct 27, 2017 @ 21:29:01
Thank you for your possible solutions to my problem. I was planning to go to another dentist – the one who made the plate for me, but the dentist who did the repair called me and told me to bring the plate in – they repaired it and knock on wood it hasn’t fallen out yet. In the future I am going back to the dentist office who made the plate for me. They seem to have more interest, even if the actual dentist who made the plate has since retired. The repair was made without further charge.
Oct 19, 2017 @ 22:01:01
Thank you, Walt
Oct 23, 2017 @ 14:31:27
Thank You!!!
Oct 27, 2017 @ 14:58:10
I have only had my denture approximately 2 years. A tooth came off. It came off clean and unbroken. Honestly, I’m very frustrated. My mom had her dentures 40 years or more and never once had something like this occur. Is this from poor craftsmanship? Should I be concerned about having the same people who made it, fix it? I have dental implants that hold the denture plate in. The tooth that came off is near where the implant snaps in. Could it have been caused from that? I have an appointment Monday with my dentist to correct it. They offered to send me to the lab for a rush fix today, but that sounded very untrustworthy and temporary. My dentist was at a convention today and not available. Any suggestions?
Oct 27, 2017 @ 19:01:41
Sometimes the materials can become very thin when you are trying to get a denture tooth to stay in an area of the implant connection. Some times the plastic weakens in that area. Denture teeth stay in mostly due to a chemical process between the plastic of the teeth and the plastic of the pink acrylic. Teeth can break off if there is too much force in one area due to a biting force, due to dropping the denture during cleaning and due to an undercut in the materials. Some times placing a little dental wax in the area that the tooth broke off can prevent the area from rubbing a sore in the side of your mouth. I would not use superglue – it will complicate the process. Superglue is water soluable which means it will dissolve in liquid. This will also change the chemicals of the denture tooth and the plastic. Plus, it is poisonous to you.
Nov 05, 2017 @ 16:08:15
Thank you. They repaired it. I am beginning to think getting implants was more of a bad idea than actually being beneficial.
Aug 23, 2018 @ 21:07:29
Hi, my name is Gene. I have a full of snap-on
smile, the regular set not shape able veneers.
My question is,my upper broke in half. Can it
repaired. Let me know as soon as you can.
Thank You.
Sincerly; Gene
Aug 24, 2018 @ 10:34:46
I don’t believe that can be repaired in the office. The dentist will need to call the lab that fabricated it and see if it can be repaired. I had one of those “valplast” partial dentures pop off a tooth and the lab told me I needed to send it back to them to reformulate it. The nice thing about the snap on is that it can still be worn even though it is broken.