New Teeth, Better Meals: 4 Tips for Eating with Dentures

You may think you can use dentures right when you get them. They look so natural and lifelike, after all – won’t they quickly act like natural teeth? However, eating with dentures can often be tricky at first; you’ll need time to adapt and adjust. The good news is that you can speed things up and get used to your new teeth faster. To get the details, learn these four tips for eating with dentures from your local Chaska dentist.

Start Slowly with Soft Foods

While you may want a normal diet, start with soft foods once you get dentures. These items will make your adjustment smoother and easier for your mouth.

You see, hard foods are often difficult when you aren’t used to dentures. Items like red meat, crackers, and raw carrots would stress your gum tissues, raising the risk of inflammation. That risk doesn’t apply to soft foods, as they meet your nutritional needs without upsetting your gums or stressing your jaws. Good examples of these items would be pureed applesauce, pudding, scrambled eggs, and so on.

Avoid Sticky Stuff (for Now)

Dentures, at their best, let you enjoy the foods you love. That said, go easy on the sticky stuff until you’ve gotten used to them; you’ll adjust more quickly.

Sticky foods would only delay your adjustment to dentures. Because they can adhere to the upper and lower molars, they’d likely dislodge your new teeth. That would keep you from learning to use the dentures properly and safely, as well as irritate your mouth. So, please avoid taffy, caramel, peanut butter, and marshmallow treats – for now, anyway.

Cut & Chew with Care

You can trust dentures to help you chew food, but it pays to be careful first. You’d be wise to cut up your food and chew it slowly as you adjust.

There are several ways to go about this careful eating. For example, you could cut food into thin strips; these would be easy to chew and help you get full faster. Using both sides of your mouth when you chew is also a good idea. That way, you’d be sure to keep your dentures stable while you eat.

Remember to Practice

When you first start, it can seem annoying to eat with dentures. Keep at it – you’ll get the hang of things and eat like normal soon.

“Practice makes perfect,” and the same applies to dentures and your meals. Spend enough time chewing with the prosthetics, and they’ll feel more and more natural. After a while, you’ll notice that you can exert more force and chew firmer foods. Just don’t go overboard – you don’t want to make your mouth too sore, right?

Eating with dentures can be challenging at first, but challenges can be overcome. Remember the tips above and talk to your dentist so your new teeth help you eat!

About the Practice

We at White Oak Dental are based near the heart of Chaska, MN. Led by the experienced Dr. Stapleton, our practice takes pride in offering high-quality dentistry for anyone who needs it. Patients can count on us for preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments, as well as emergency dental care. Our team will even provide replacement teeth like dentures or dental implants. For more details or to book a visit, please reach us on our website or by phone at (952)-448-2868.