Eating and Drinking With Dentures: What You Need to Know

Patients who are getting dentures for the first time have many questions. Perhaps the most common they ask is how dentures will affect eating and drinking. The first thing to know is that there is going to be an adjustment period where consuming the foods you’re used to enjoying may be a challenge at first. But it’s like anything else, you’ll get used to having dentures in your mouth and you will be able to pick up your usual routines once again.

Starting Out

When you first get your dentures, your mouth is going through some acclimation. You should chew much more carefully than you used to, as chewing too hard could break the denture. You could experience some new taste and feeling sensations, as the inside of your mouth adapts to the dentures as you perform usual actions like chewing and speaking.

Careful Eating

Always go slow as you eat. In the first few weeks you should choose only softer foods and cut your food into small, bite-size pieces that are easy to chew. Biting your food is also going to require some adjustment, try not to bite with your front teeth but the canines instead. Doing so could cause gum irritation as the dentures get dislodged from their position in your mouth. Chewing slowly will also help you avoid catching the inside of your cheek by mistake, causing pain or discomfort.

Second Nature

Over time, your dentures won’t feel like some foreign object in your mouth but a natural substitute for your real teeth. Eating will become less difficult but you should still practice caution as you eat harder foods. You should still try to avoid anything with bones or shells so you don’t break your denture and refrain from drinking anything too hot or cold. Coffee can also stain dentures and gum should be avoided altogether due to its stickiness. Nuts and seeds are also a bad idea since they could get stuck under the denture and cause redness or soreness to the mouth.

Cleaning Your Dentures

Keeping the dentures clean is a top priority to keep harmful bacteria from infecting your mouth. You must take them out each day and brush them thoroughly, just as you would natural teeth. Be sure to soak them overnight in your preferred cleaning solution to keep them fresh and clean, this all prevents them from drying out which can damage the appliances.