Six Things You Don't Want To Do When You Eat With Dentures
One of the big steps in adjusting to life with dentures is learning to eat with dentures in place. You need to avoid some mistakes when you eat with a new set of dentures to make the transition to denture use as smooth as possible.
The following are six things you don't want to do when you eat with dentures.
Trying to eat hard foods right away
Caution is especially important with eating in the early days when you're first adjusting to a new set of dentures. It's best to limit what you eat at first and only eat soft foods until you've gotten used to the feel of dentures.
Not cutting your food into smaller pieces
It's a good idea to cut your food up into smaller pieces than normal when you're first adjusting to dentures. When you put smaller pieces of food in your mouth and chew them, you reduce the amount of pressure that's placed on your gums and dentures.
Cutting your food into smaller pieces helps you get used to the feel of dentures while eating and also minimizes your chances for developing soreness from your new dentures.
Chewing only on one side of the mouth
A lot of people have a tendency to unconsciously chew mostly on one side of the mouth. This is problematic when you're adjusting to dentures because it concentrates all the stress on one side of the mouth rather than spreading it over the gums and teeth evenly.
Make sure that you're chewing evenly and using your whole mouth to eat to avoid developing soreness on one side of the mouth as you adjust to dentures.
Consuming excessively hot liquids and foods with new dentures
You may have more trouble sensing the hotness of food and drink when you're using dentures than you did with your natural teeth. This can make you more likely to burn your mouth when you're drinking and eating with new dentures.
You should therefore be especially careful when drinking hot beverages and eating hot foods as you adjust to your new dentures.
Eating a lot of solid food when your gums are sore
It's very common for individuals to experience some soreness in the mouth when they're first adjusting to dentures.
If you are experiencing soreness, it's best to switch to a liquid diet as much as possible until the soreness goes away. This will reduce the stress put on your gums and help to get rid of soreness quickly as you adjust to dentures.
Eating chewy or crunchy foods that you're not supposed to
There are some foods that you really shouldn't ever be eating with dentures even after you've gotten used to them. Some foods that you should avoid eating with dentures include popcorn, certain raw fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots, sticky candies, and nuts.
For more information, reach out to a dentist like Tony Parsley, DMD.
