Frequently Asked Questions – Dentures Part 2
How do I clean my new dentures?
Your doctor will share with you the best ways to clean and maintain your new dentures at your insertion appointment. There are a wide variety of high quality denture cleaners on the market. Choose one with the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper denture cleaning.
How will my dentures affect the way I eat?
Eating with a new mouthful of teeth is an acquired skill and, just as with all acquired skills, will require some time, patience, and practice. For some, it may take weeks to learn to eat comfortably with new dentures; for others, it may take as many as six months to learn to eat the full variety of foods you enjoy. There are some foods, like corn on the cob or a hard whole apple, which you may never be able to master while wearing dentures. Any foods that require hard biting with your front teeth will be the most difficult to eat while wearing dentures.
Are there "special tips" for eating with dentures?
Why yes, there are. When you first begin wearing your new dentures, you’ll probably require more time to finish a meal. Over time, as and you get more practice chewing various foods, this will improve.
Begin with easy-to-chew foods when you first get your dentures, which will help in a couple of ways: 1) this will help with muscle coordination of the lips and tongue which is needed to control the dentures while chewing; 2) this will also help to "toughen up" the gums beneath your new dentures, enabling you to enjoy harder foods later.
Will my dentures impact my sense of taste?
Since your taste buds are all on your tongue, covering your palate with denture adhesive should not affect the way your food tastes. Although some new denture patients complain that they can’t taste food "as well" when wearing their dentures as they could before again, this should improve with time.
5 Tips for eating with new dentures:
Avoid using your front teeth for biting at first. Instead, push food back to the side of your front teeth rather than biting things off with your front teeth.
Cut your food into smaller pieces than you’re used to, and try to chew on both sides of the mouth at the same time.
Try easy-to-chew foods first, before you try hard foods or tough meats.
To reduce embarrassment, try chewing your favorite foods at home first, before trying them out in public. This way, if a problem arises when eating your favorite foods, you won’t feel embarrassed.
It’s quite common for you to have trouble eating salads when wearing your new dentures, because the lettuce in a salad for example does not tear well with denture teeth.
The doctors and staff at The Colorado Center for Implant and Prosthetic Dentistry are available to help you determine effective solutions to all of your dental problems. If you would like more information from your Littleton area Prosthodontist, please call to make an appointment today.