Garmin Forerunner 245 Breakage where Watch Band Connects

Recently had the unlucky experience of my Forerunner 245 having a breakage of where the Watch Band Connects to the Watch itself, which is making it impossible to use (one of the 4 connection points is completely broken through). Tried reaching out to support via email but was told that repairs aren't offered currently, and that with it being out warranty the only option would be to have to buy a new watch entirely. Anyone have any experience with trying to self-fix this sort of issue, or even how to prevent it from happening again should I be able to find a fix for it? Right now trying to tape over the whole which isn't really staying for more than a few hours even without doing any activities with the watch?