Diet and Dentures: Eating with New Dentures
The benefits of dentures are far reaching – improving your eating and speaking functionality, while aligning your bite and preventing further tooth loss. Because of this huge positive impact, the introduction of dentures can take some getting used to.
Eating with dentures tends to be the biggest challenge, as it takes time for the muscles in your face to adjust to the new movement and functionality. Understanding what to eat with new dentures, and when, will help you ease into your new life of supreme oral health!
Habits and adjustments for new dentures
Dentures typically require dental work in preparation, and the lingering pain from this procedure will impact your initial adjustment to new dentures. Eating soft foods but avoiding hot liquids are good habits to help adjust to this change.
When considering dentures, its important to take into account the change they will bring to your daily habits. As well as taking good care of your dentures, a healthy diet should be followed, with regular dentist visits to ensure a correct fit.
Start with soft food
It’s important to start off easy with the food you eat, giving your gums and new dentures time to adjust to the change. Soft foods that require minimal chewing are advised, as crunchy or hard foods risk irritation from undue pressure on your gums.
Opt for a mechanical soft diet when considering what to eat with new dentures, like mashed potatoes, eggs, soups, pudding, applesauce, and other nutritious liquids.
Transitioning to solid foods
Once you’ve reached a good level of comfort with your dentures, you can begin to reintroduce solid foods. Go slow, and pay attention to how sensitive your gums feel, as everyone has a different recovery rate from dental procedures.
A great tip is to eat solid food in small pieces, and chew slowly using both sides of your mouth. Drink lots of water with meals, especially with carbohydrates like bread and pasta which can get stuck to dentures. Start soft, with soft fish or chicken, and build your way up to that juicy steak!
What food should I avoid?
Once you have properly adapted to eating with dentures, the great news is there’s really no food to avoid with dentures! Provided you are continuing correct oral healthcare processes, and paying attention to any pain or irritation from your dentures and getting it checked by your dental health professional at EDR, you should be able to eat just about anything.
If you have any issues with your dentures, and want to avoid potential food hazards, you could hard and sticky foods, like chewing gum and candies, hard fruits and tough red meat, as well as nut butters and nuts.
Cleaning dentures after a meal
Particularly when adjusting to new dentures, it’s important to clean them after every meal. Brush every crevice with a soft toothbrush and a denture cleaner that’s non-abrasive, rinsing your mouth out thoroughly in the process.
Damaged dentures? EDR can help
Once you feel any soreness or irritation from your dentures, be sure to book an appointment with the denture experts at Emergency Denture Repair. As well as repairing broken or damaged dentures, and making adjustments for a comfortable fit, our dental experts spot any potential issues before they become serious.
Get in touch now for an emergency appointment, or to book a consultation for new dentures.