How Can I Get Used to Eating with Dentures?

Dentures have the potential to provide functional and beautiful tooth replacement. When you first get them, though, they can feel strange in your mouth. You might even find that eating with them is a bit challenging. How can you get used to eating with dentures? This blog post contains some practical tips.

Start with Soft Foods

When you are new to your dentures, you might find that your gums are a bit sore and tender. If you try to consume tough or chewy foods, your discomfort is only likely to worsen. For a few weeks, it would be wise to eat only foods that require little to no chewing. For example, things like applesauce, yogurt, mashed potatoes, and scrambled eggs should be easy to consume.

Be Careful with Hot Foods

Because an upper denture covers both your gums and your palate, it might reduce your ability to sense the temperature of the foods you place in your mouth. If you eat something extremely hot, you could accidentally burn your sensitive oral tissues! It would be wise to test your foods with your lips so you can determine if they have cooled down enough to be safe to eat.

Distribute Food Evenly on Both Sides of Your Mouth

Traditional dentures may become unstable if you place too much pressure on one side of them. To keep your prosthetic teeth where they belong, strive to evenly distribute food on both sides of your mouth when you are chewing.

Bite Carefully

Since dentures can become destabilized if too much pressure is applied to any one part of them, you should not use them to bite directly into hard foods. For example, instead of biting directly into an apple, you should cut it into pieces and move it to your back teeth so you can chew it.

Drink Plenty of Water

Sticky items, starches, and certain other foods might accumulate on the chewing surfaces of your dentures. If the food debris stays there for too long, you could end up with bad breath and other oral hygiene issues. Try to make sure that you sip on water after each meal so your mouth can stay clean and fresh. (Of course, that is in addition to your regular daily oral hygiene routine.)

Call Your Dentist if You Need Help

Your dentist wants you to enjoy your new teeth, so do not hesitate to reach out if you run into any questions or concerns while you are adapting to your dentures. Hopefully, with a bit of time and practice, eating with your prosthetic will feel natural and easy!

Meet the Practice

Dr. Brenda Berkal has dedicated more than 45 years to dentistry, and she is still passionate about her job! She prides herself on designing beautiful dentures and other restorations that provide reliable function. If you have questions about tooth replacement or what to expect from it, she and our team would be pleased to speak with you. Contact our Derry, NH, office at 603-434-4090.